Jason Thune: The Local Advantage Hyperscalers Don’t Have

Why It Matters

Hawaiian Telecom’s rapid, locally‑driven fiber rollout gives enterprises in the islands immediate access to low‑latency connectivity, a critical differentiator as digital services and AI workloads expand.

Key Takeaways

• Local knowledge speeds permitting and pole attachment in Hawaii.
• Hawaiian Telecom leverages existing fiber to bypass shoreline regulations.
• Undersea cables provide redundancy across six islands, three operational now.
• Goal: complete fiber on all islands by end of 2026.
• Future focus on ultra‑low latency, not hype technologies like 6G.

Summary

The interview with Jason Thune highlights how Hawaiian Telecom maintains a strategic edge over trillion‑dollar hyperscalers by exploiting its local presence to accelerate fiber‑optic deployment across the Hawaiian archipelago.

Thune explains that the company’s intimate knowledge of state permitting, pole‑attachment fees, and shoreline‑management rules lets it move faster than mainland carriers. Existing underground fiber bypasses lengthy environmental reviews that can stretch beyond a year, while three undersea cable systems already link the islands, providing redundancy and resilience.

A memorable moment comes when Thune jokes about swimming between islands to lay cable, underscoring the challenges of inter‑island connectivity. He also notes that the firm has completed fiber on three of six major islands, aims to finish Maui by early 2024, and targets full island‑wide coverage by the end of 2026. Looking ahead, he stresses ultra‑low latency as the next service imperative, dismissing 6G and AGI as current hype.

For businesses, the local advantage translates into faster rollout of high‑bandwidth, low‑latency services essential for IoT, AI, and remote sensing applications. As the telecom sector cycles between consolidation and decentralization, Hawaiian Telecom’s model demonstrates how regional operators can compete by leveraging regulatory agility and infrastructure ownership.

Original Description

Building fiber networks isn’t just about capital - it’s about execution on the ground. In this conversation, Steve Saunders speaks with Jason Thune, VP of Fiber Strategy and Deployment at Hawaiian Telcom, about why local operators still hold a critical advantage over even the largest technology companies.

In a market like Hawaii, deploying infrastructure means navigating complex permitting processes, environmental regulations, and community constraints that can take months - or even years - to resolve. Jason explains how local providers are able to move faster by understanding these systems and leveraging existing infrastructure to bypass bottlenecks that would stall outside players.

As Hawaiian Telcom moves toward a fully fiber-based network across the islands, the focus is shifting from coverage to capability. That includes enabling IoT, AI-driven applications, and increasingly latency-sensitive services that demand real-time performance.

The conversation also explores the realities of operating across island geographies, with subsea fiber systems providing the resilience and redundancy needed to connect communities. Looking ahead, Jason points to a clear priority for the industry: ultra-low latency. As applications evolve, speed alone is no longer enough - responsiveness will define the next generation of carrier networks.