546
UNITS UPGRADED
50%
COST SAVINGS VS. FTTH
<3 WEEKS
TOTAL DEPLOYMENT
Symmetrical
GIGABIT-CAPABLE SERVICE
Overview
The Hawaiian Monarch is a 546-unit condominium and hotel property located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Faced with aging infrastructure, growing resident bandwidth demands, and the high cost of a traditional fiber retrofit, Xiber sought a faster and more cost-effective way to modernize connectivity throughout the property.
In 2022, Xiber deployed Positron’s Gigabit Any Media (GAM) technology over the property’s existing coax network, transforming the building’s connectivity capabilities while avoiding the disruption and expense of a full rewiring project.
THE CHALLENGE
Like many brownfield MDU (multi-dwelling unit) properties, the Hawaiian Monarch relied on decades-old coax infrastructure and legacy cable equipment. The building’s legacy CMTS (cable modem termination system) and amplifier architecture delivered asymmetrical service with particularly limited upload performance.
The network also consumed significant power. Xiber considered a fiber-to-the-unit (FTTU) upgrade, but rewiring a 50-year-old high-rise would have required extensive construction, higher costs, tenant disruption, and a much longer timeline.
THE SOLUTION
After evaluating Positron’s technology, Xiber selected a solution that enabled symmetrical gigabit-capable services over the building’s existing coax infrastructure.
Xiber removed the legacy CMTS and amplifier equipment and modernized the broadband infrastructure using Positron technology. Installation teams completed approximately 32-unit upgrades per day, with service interruptions typically lasting only minutes per unit.
The entire 546-unit property was upgraded in less than three weeks.
Results
- Symmetrical gigabit-capable connectivity delivered over existing coax infrastructure
- 546 units upgraded in under three weeks
- Approximately 75% reduction in deployment time compared to a traditional fiber retrofit
- 50% reduction in HOA electrical costs following removal of legacy CMTS and amplifier equipment
- 50% cost savings compared to a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) installation
- Minimal resident disruption during installation
- Building-wide enablement of XiberTV IPTV services
- Expanded Wi-Fi coverage to common areas, including the pool deck and fitness center
The project demonstrated that existing coax infrastructure can continue delivering high-performance broadband
Customer Perspective
“We were pulling a CMTS and an amplifier cascade out of a 50-year-old tower with 546 occupied condo and hotel units, and we couldn’t take rooms out of service to do it. Positron Access let us reuse the coax already in the walls and turn a plant that had almost no upload into symmetrical gigabit-capable service at every door — 32 units a day, minutes of downtime per unit; the whole property cut over in under three weeks. Half the cost of a rewire, and retiring the legacy headend gear cut the AOAO’s power costs for that equipment in half. It’s how we approach brownfield now.”
Stephen Hon
President, Xiber
“Xiber has been providing my entire building with fantastic internet service without interruption. We have Wi-Fi on our pool deck and in our fitness center; our tenants love it. Their team is very responsive and respectful, and Xiber’s management has gone out of its way to make sure we are happy with the services they provide.”
Nate Steele
General Manager, AOAO Hawaiian Monarch
Looking Ahead
What began as one of Xiber’s earliest Positron deployments quickly became a model for future projects. Following the success of the Hawaiian Monarch, Xiber adopted Positron as its preferred approach for brownfield properties where viable coax infrastructure already exists, enabling faster deployments, lower costs, and enhanced resident experiences across its portfolio.
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Hawaiian Monarch Delivers Symmetrical Gigabit Connectivity
The Hawaiian Monarch is a 546-unit condominium and hotel property located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Faced with aging infrastructure, growing resident bandwidth demands, and the high cost of a traditional fiber retrofit, Xiber sought a faster and more cost-effective way to modernize connectivity throughout the property.
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