Our History

In 1883, the world was on the cusp of remarkable technological advancements. The industrial revolution, scientific discoveries, electricity, and telecommunications were transforming life before our eyes. In the middle of the Pacific, visionary King David Kalākaua sought to bring the wonders of modernization to the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. He granted a charter to Mutual Telephone Company — a budding company that would one day be known as Hawaiian Telcom — and in so doing, planted the seeds for Hawai‘i’s technological future.

In the beginning, our mission was to provide telephone service to the people of Hawai‘i. In the decades that followed — despite the passage of time — Hawaiian Telcom remained true to King Kalākaua’s legacy of innovation. By investing in a host of technologies aimed at improving connections across the state, Hawaiian Telcom, in a very real sense, established Hawai‘i as the communications hub of the Pacific.

A new era dawned in 2010 when Hawaiian Telcom began strategically investing in fiber infrastructure. In 2022, our 100% fiber internet service with Hawai‘i’s fastest upload speed was branded as Fioptics. Hawaiian Telcom continues to invest in expanding our statewide fiber network to enable more homes and businesses with broadband service so more people in more places in Hawai‘i can reap the benefits.

Now, as we celebrate 140 years of building connections in the islands, we envision a future in which the power of fiber internet enables us to imagine the possibilities as never before.

Our Timeline

1883

Our Story Begins

King David Kalākaua granted a charter to our company, then known as Mutual Telephone Company, to provide telephone services to Hawai‘i. Our name has changed over time but our commitment to keeping Hawai‘i connected has remained stronger than ever.

A Pioneer of Firsts

Established the first direct link to the mainland via undersea cable.

1902

1957

Built the first submarine telephone cable connecting Hawai‘i to the mainland.

Established the first trans-Pacific submarine cable connecting Hawai‘i to Japan and the mainland.

1964

1967

Beyond the Call (1967-2000)

Acquired by GTE Corp., the largest independent telephone company in the U.S., and renamed GTE Hawaiian Tel.

In the 1980’s, GTE Hawaiian Tel was known for its tagline: Beyond the Call.

Connecting our Islands

Completed the interisland submarine fiber system that linked the islands with fiber-optic technology.

Customers on all the islands could now send data and video images with much greater speed and reliability.

1994

2000

2005

2008

Growing and changing

Became Verizon Hawai‘i when GTE Corp. merged with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon Communications. Verizon Hawai‘i launched high-speed internet in Hawai‘i in 2001.

Verizon Hawai‘i was sold to The Carlyle Group and our name changed to Hawaiian Telcom.

A local management team helped stabilize and restructure the company. Hawaiian Telcom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2008 and successfully emerged in 2010 as a stronger, more financially secure organization.

Hawai’i’s Technology Leader (2010-2016)

Began strategic investment in accelerating the expansion of our next-generation fiber network and systems statewide to position the company for growth. This fiber network enables new, advanced services such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) service and much faster internet speeds.

This period marked a time of rapid change and advancement for Hawaiian Telcom which was paralleled by our new logo and tagline: Hawai‘i’s Technology Leader. For many years our primary business was telephone connectivity, and the tagline reflected our expanded array of products and services.

2010

2011

2015

Charting New Territory

Hawaiian Telcom TV (HTTV) launched on O‘ahu.

Became the first local provider to launch one gigabit speed internet, which was not only the fastest speed in Hawai‘i but among the fastest in the nation at the time. Fiber 1 Gig was enabled by our nearly half a billion dollar investment in our growing fiber network.

Fiber Drives the Future 2017-2021

The Southeast Asia-United States (SEA-US) trans-Pacific fiber cable system, which Hawaiian Telcom invested $25 million to become an owner and an operator of, went into service.

SEA-US connects Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, Hawai‘i and California, and its state-of-the-art 100 gigabit per second technology delivers 20 terabit per second capacity and can enable far greater capacities as technology advances.

2017

2018

2021

Unprecedented Times

Cincinnati Bell (now altafiber) of Cincinnati, Ohio acquired Hawaiian Telcom. As one ‘ohana (family), we create and sell more products and services to more customers at a lower cost, competing against the same aggressive cable company.

altafiber and its family of companies, which includes Hawaiian Telcom, was acquired by Macquarie Asset Management, a global asset management company based in Australia. The acquisition enables altafiber and Hawaiian Telcom to accelerate fiber expansion plans in our respective markets to help bridge the digital divide.

Imagine the Possibilities with Fioptics (2022 and Beyond)

Launched Fioptics, Hawai‘i’s only 100% fiber internet service.

Celebrated 140 years of building connections in Hawai‘i. The most exciting chapter in our company’s history has just begun.

2022

2023

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