1 Gbps has of course been the marketing buzzword du jour for the last year, companies offering a smattering of 1 Gbps connections to developments -- then heavily marketing them to give the impression of significantly larger upgrades. Cincinnati Bell is no exception, the company late last year launching their own "FiOptics" 1 Gbps offering for $90 a month.

Unlike many companies (who hide deployment totals to give the impression of greater rollouts) Cincinnati Bell is specific about how many homes the service reaches: around 335,000 (or roughly 40%) of homes and businesses in and around greater Cincinnati.

Speaking on the company's recent conference call, Cincinnati Bell CEO Ted Torbeck stated that the company's recent decision to sell their wireless assets to Verizon has given the company the necessary resources to expand their FiOptics service further this year:

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"The completion of the wireless transaction and our strategy for monetizing Cyrus One has increased operational and capital flexibility and also provides us with the ability to focus on our fiber investments," Torbeck said. "Our Fioptics suite of products is currently available to 40 percent of greater Cincinnati and we plan to expand that coverage to 70-80 percent over the next few years."

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In 2015, the company says it will spend between $80 million and $85 million to pass another 100,000 homes with the speedy service.