NewWave Communications is a broadband and cable company that provides television, high-speed internet, and digital telephone services for residential and business customers. NewWave serves customers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. NewWave is rebranding to Sparklight to provide customers with the latest technology, faster internet speeds, and superior customer service.

In 2017 Phoenix-based Cable One acquired NewWave Communications, a private company, for $735 million in cash. The acquisition was announced on January 18 of that year. CalbeOne has rebranded NewWave as Sparklight.

Sparklight is based in Anniston, AL and serves 24 states with about 1.1 million residential and business customers. In 2021, Sparklight stopped selling new traditional cable TV subscriptions and is moving current customers to streaming-cable only and such is delivering TV via the internet. This is becoming the trend for cable operators as more consumers purchase attractively priced Smart TVs that stream the internet and handily support content providers like FaceBook, YouTube, Paramount+ Hulu, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ and many others.

Sparklight TV is compatible with the Amazon Fire TV Stick. You can use the Sparklight TV streaming app to enjoy the same programming you receive on cable from any device, including a Fire Stick. You can download the Sparklight TV app from the Amazon App Store for Amazon Fire TV devices.

You can log in to Sparklight TV from your smart TV, streaming device, or mobile app to watch Live TV from any screen in your home.

Sparklight TV is a streaming-only service that does not support Roku at this time. As a workaround, you could download the SparklightTV app to your mobile device and then cast it to your RokuTV or Roku device. You could also install it on a laptop and then run an HDMI cable to your TV.

Sparklight uses a hybrid fiber-coax cable internet connection that runs on a coaxial cable network. Plans have download speeds up to 940 megabits per second. Sparklight provides both cable and fiber-optic internet to residential customers depending on where you live. Cable internet is the most widely available, but Sparklight's fiber options are expanding.

To access the internet, you need a modem and possibly a W-iFi router if you want to share the signal to all your devices. A modem connects you to the internet, while a router connects your devices to your home network or Wi-Fi network so they can communicate wirelessly. Sparklight will provide a lease option for its certified modem/router unit for $12.50 a month or you can BYO although most people who BYO choose to BYO their own router, and not their own modem, which can be more complex to install. If you get the Sparklight modem/router you can still use your own router. Router models currently supported include the ASUS RT-AC68U, TP-LINK Archer AX90, eero 6, NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S C7800, TP-LINK Archer AX50, Netgear Orbi 6, Eero - Pro 6E AX5400 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6E Router, TP-LINK Archer A7, TP-LINK Archer AX20, and TP-Link Archer C7 | Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5 Wireless Router. Confirm directly with Sparklight before you buy.

Sparklight requires customers to use a DOCSIS 3.0 or higher cable modem. As stated, the company will rent you their modem/router unit for $12.50 /mo. and it includes Wi-fi One. (Sparklight no longer supports modems with DOCSIS 2.0 technology.) If you want to use your own cable modem, check with Sparklight. DOCSIS 3.0 or higher cable modems feature the latest cable technology, can deliver faster internet speeds, and have a longer expected lifetime. Only cable modems or eMTAs will work with Sparklight's network. DSL modems are not compatible.

Sparklight internet-only plans range from $39 to $85 /mo. You can also bundle TV and phone with internet and for those and other details reach out directly to Sparklight. To help you get started, here are some internet plan options:

Starter 100 Plus: $39/mo.

Internet 200: $65 /mo.

Internet 300: $80 /mo.

Internet 500: $90 /mo.

Turbo 300 Plus: $80 /mo.

Freedom Connect 600: $75 /mo.

GigaONE Plus: $125 /mo.

Sparklight offers two options for installation: you can schedule a professional installation with a Sparklight technician, or you can self-install. Sparklight is currently waiving its $90 installation fee, but you will still have to pay a $30 activation fee. Self-installation is not available in all service areas and depends upon a credit check. If you don’t self-install the fee, if not waived, is $90. The instruction manual that comes with the installation-kit can be daunting for those who aren’t technical.

Taxes and fees are additional and there may be other requirements. Plans are month to month, no contracts. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Important phone numbers for Sparklight: Call a live representative:855-740-8966. Customer service: 855-692-4113. The self-service tools are on the website and include a virtual assistant tool. The average customer rating is 3.4/5 from 313 reviews. This is a very competitive rating among cable companies.