CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 31, 2026--
Today, Ripple Fiber®, a leading 100-percent fiber-optic internet provider and network operator, officially introduces the expansion of its residential and business packages with the addition of the 5 Gig and 8 Gig options. With Ripple Fiber also being the first to include free Wi-Fi backup with all Gig plans, customers who need greater bandwidth in their home or business now have access to enhanced reliability, increased speeds, and scalability for the future. A recent soft launch to existing customers generated strong engagement, with upgrade opportunities well received.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260331905125/en/
“Following the recent announcement of our collaboration with eero, the evolution of our service options demonstrates our immense focus on the customer experience and our intentionality from a technology standpoint as we scale our network,” said Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Ripple Fiber. “Ripple Fiber is proud to provide our residential and business customers with flexible options that fit their needs, from guest network management and security systems to large file backups and content production.”
For homeowners, each Gig package includes a comprehensive set of premium features designed to enhance performance, reliability, and security, including:
Boasting symmetrical upload and download speeds and transparent pricing without contracts or hidden fees, residential packages now start at $40 and offer up to 8 Gbps. Recently teaming up with eero, an Amazon company, Ripple Fiber has also introduced the eero Wi-Fi Pro 7 router, eero Signal, and eero Secure as new staples in its impressive product portfolio.
For businesses, Ripple Fiber’s packages start at $95 and also include the eero Wi-Fi Pro 7 router and eero Signal. Added benefits for 5 Gig and 8 Gig business customers include VIP technical support and one business phone line.
For those interested in signing up for Ripple Fiber service or upgrading their current package, they are encouraged to call 800-359-5767 or visit ripplefiber.com.
ABOUT RIPPLE FIBER
Founded in 2021, Ripple Fiber® provides thousands of homes and businesses with brighter, faster fiber internet built for the speed of life. Powered by a 10-gig, 100% fiber-optic network, Ripple Fiber is redefining connectivity for communities across 10 states while expanding access to reliable, future-proof internet. Ripple Fiber believes the biggest wave starts as a ripple. For more information, visit ripplefiber.com.
Available now across its fiber footprint, Ripple Fiber's new 5 and 8 Gig plans deliver scalable solutions and enhancements designed to improve the customer experience.
Fighting as Israel invades southern Lebanon killed U.N. peacekeepers and Israeli soldiers, officials said Tuesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian officials issued contradictory statements about negotiations to end their war.
Israel is trying to push Hezbollah militants, who have fired rockets and drones across the border, out of southern Lebanon in a campaign that Israeli officials suggest could become a prolonged occupation.
The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss the situation after three U.N. peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon in less than 24 hours, although it’s not clear who was responsible. Israel said early Tuesday that another four of its soldiers had been killed in the offensive.
Trump said the U.S. is negotiating with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, in an interview with the New York Post published Monday. The former Revolutionary Guard commander was previously floated as Washington’s negotiating partner, but has denied Iran is talking to the U.S. and said Pakistan-facilitated discussions were merely a cover for American troop deployments.
Trump also threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached “shortly.”
U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide. U.S. stocks edged higher in shaky trading Monday as oil prices keep climbing because of uncertainty about when the war could end.
Here is the latest:
Speaking at a news conference from the Pentagon on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he visited American service members in the Middle East. He said he wouldn’t disclose the base names or locations for operational security.
Hegseth said he visited areas under the responsibility of U.S. Central Command on Saturday for about half a day.
“Suffice it to say, the trip was in honor,” Hegseth told reporters. “I had a chance to bear witness, and I witnessed the best of America.”
Israel’s military says it has begun a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.
The Italian government says its relationship with the U.S. is “solid and based on full and loyal cooperation,” following reports it denied the use of a Sicilian base to U.S. aircraft headed to the Middle East.
The government of Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that Italy is acting “in full compliance with existing international agreements and the government’s guidelines expressed in parliament.”
It said each request for military use of Italian bases is examined on a case-by-case basis, its longstanding procedure.
“No critical issues or frictions with international partners have been registered,” it added.
Airstrikes hit Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Tuesday afternoon as air defenses could be heard firing.
U.S. President Donald Trump says nations upset by high fuel prices should ‘go get your own oil’ as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
His comments in a social media post on Tuesday came as average U.S. gas prices shot past $4 a gallon.
He expressed his frustration toward allies that have been unwilling to help the U.S. reopen the critical passageway. He also said they should buy from the U.S. because “we have plenty.”
The United Arab Emirates set sharply highly gasoline and diesel fuel prices on Tuesday for the coming month, with gasoline going up by over 30% and diesel jumping up more than 70%.
The UAE government sets the price monthly in line with international pricing, which has spiked over the Iran war and Tehran maintaining its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
In the UAE, diesel fuel will jump to 4.69 dirhams ($1.28) a liter, up from 2.72 dirhams (74 cents). The new price is $4.38 a gallon for diesel, lower than the average gallon of diesel in the U.S., which sits at $5.45 a gallon.
Premium gasoline in the UAE will be 3.39 dirhams (92 cents) a liter. That’s $3.49 a gallon, where premium on average in the U.S. is $4.90 a gallon.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi briefed Russian leader Vladimir Putin about Egypt’s efforts to de-escalate in the region during a phone call Tuesday, according to el-Sissi’s office.
He said Russia is able to help put an end to the war, a statement from the office said.
Italy has refused permission for U.S. military assets to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for an operation linked to the Middle East offensive, an official said.
The refusal was issued a few days ago and concerned U.S. aircraft including bombers, which were intended to land at the base before continuing toward the Middle East, the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Under agreements governing U.S. military use of bases in Italy, Rome must be formally consulted and grant approval before operations can proceed.
The request was denied because Italian authorities were not alerted in time and the U.S. assets included bombers, the official said.
Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government has pledged decisions involving military actions would require parliamentary approval.
Italy’s defense ministry did not immediately issue a statement on the decision.
Turkey has denounced attacks targeting personnel with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as a serious violation of international law.
The statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued Tuesday added that those responsible for attacking UNIFIL peacekeepers must face justice.
The statement criticized Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, saying it was deepening regional instability, and issued a call to the international community to end “Israel’s expansionism, aggression, and occupation.”
Korean Air says it is entering an “emergency management mode” to cope with soaring fuel costs triggered by the war in the Middle East.
South Korea’s biggest airline said Tuesday it is setting internal targets to reduce costs that are not essential to flight operations.
The company said cost-cutting measures would be implemented in phases starting in April, but didn’t specify what they would be or whether they would include major flight reductions.
It added that fuel costs for April are expected to be more than double its previous projections stated in annual business plans.
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show damage after an Iranian attack targeting Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base.
The March 15 photo from Planet Labs PBC shows damage to one of the massive air base’s buildings.
Qatar and the U.S. have not acknowledged the damage.
Al Udeid serves as the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command, which is prosecuting the war.
Information has so far been scarce about the damage being done across the Middle East, particularly inside closed military facilities, since the war started Feb. 28.
The images come from Planet Labs PBC, a San Francisco-based firm used by media outlets, including the AP.
Planet Labs has put a two-week delay on its imagery becoming public, citing concerns its imagery could be used by “adversarial actors.”
Egypt Foreign Minister Badr Abdelattay briefed foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan about the latest round of mediation efforts.
Abdelattay and Pakistani and Turkish counterparts met over the weekend in Islamabad for talks aimed at bringing Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table, according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
Abdelattay discussed the meeting’s outcome and ongoing efforts to stop the war with his counterparts, Egypt’s ministry said without elaborating.
Israel’s military spokesperson says 10 soldiers have died fighting in Lebanon since the start of the Israeli invasion, including four deaths announced Tuesday.
As of Friday, the military said 261 troops had been injured, 22 seriously, in fighting since the start of the latest war.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on Iran denounced executions being carried out by Tehran.
Mai Sato made the comment on X after two more members of the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq had been executed Tuesday.
Two others were hanged Monday.
“Given the ongoing internet shutdown, it remains unclear who else has been or is being executed,” she wrote. “What is clear is that executions are being used as a means of suppressing political dissent amid war.”
An Israeli soldier has been dismissed after making “inappropriate comments” to a CNN crew, Israel’s military spokesperson said Tuesday.
The solider’s battalion assaulted and detained the crew in the West Bank last week. CNN said one of the soldiers put producer Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold during the encounter.
It was not clear which soldier was dismissed. There were multiple soldiers filmed by CNN claiming the Israeli-occupied West Bank belonged to them. Other soldiers involved in the incident received reprimands, the spokesperson said.
A formal police investigation was opened into allegations of violence against another soldier, the spokesperson said.
The military’s chief of staff has suspended the battalion from its current deployment.
Three Chinese vessels recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz “through coordination with relevant parties,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
“We appreciate the assistance provided by the relevant parties,” she said without naming them.
She repeated China’s call for an immediate ceasefire, saying the strait is a vital corridor for goods and energy trade.
U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide.
According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02, over a dollar more than before the war began.
The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now.
Some of Myanmar’s most visible fuel constraints have appeared in big cities with long lines at gas stations becoming a daily sight, according to a report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Tuesday.
Authorities have gradually rolled out measures and controls including an odd-even vehicle numbering system limits which cars can be on the roads each day, a QR code system and daily fuel purchase limits.
The measures have slowed fuel distribution and added to congestion as vehicles often wait for hours or even overnight under rationing rules.
The report says authorities have taken action against 17 gas stations and warned 24 others for violations such as selling without scanning codes, failing to open or overcharging.
Oil steadied and Asian stocks were mostly lower Tuesday as signs of a de-escalation of the Iran war remained mixed.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 1.6% to 51,063.72. South Korea’s Kospi lost 4.3% to 5,052.46.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.3% to 24,678.17, while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.8% to 3,891.86.
Brent crude futures were less than 0.1% lower at $107.37 a barrel on Tuesday, while benchmark U.S. crude edged up 0.1% to $102.93 per barrel.
The defense ministers of Italy and France expressed “deep and profound concern” Tuesday over the deteriorating security in Lebanon.
The joint statement by Guido Crosetto and Catherine Vautrin made particular reference to recent attacks targeting personnel from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
In a phone conversation Monday they stressed the “unacceptability of such incidents and the increasing risks faced by the personnel deployed in the mission,” the statement said.
The ministers agreed on the strategic importance of UNIFIL, saying Lebanon’s stability constitutes “an indispensable pillar for the balance of the entire Mediterranean basin.”
They confirmed Italy and France will continue operating in close coordination to ensure the safety of international personnel, the protection of peace and support for Lebanese authorities.
Suspected militants blew up a local gas pipeline Monday in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, officials said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack near Quetta, the capital of the province bordering Iran.
Officials reported the attack Tuesday, saying it disrupted natural gas supplies to regional cities. The Sui Southern Gas Company said engineers were working to repair the damaged pipeline.
Iran held a funeral Tuesday for Rear. Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, the head of Revolutionary Guard’s navy.
An Israeli airstrike killed Tangsiri last week, with Tehran only acknowledging his death Monday.
It showed his casket on a flatbed truck driving through the streets of Bandar Abbas, a crucial port city on the Strait of Hormuz that has seen repeated U.S. airstrikes during the war.
Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning they “contained” a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under attack from Iran.
Officials said there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister left for Beijing on Tuesday for a one-day visit as the country steps up efforts to help end the war in the Middle East.
Ishaq Dar is visiting China at the invitation of his counterpart, Wang Yi, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said in a statement without providing additional details.
Dar held consultations over the weekend in Islamabad with top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Dar later said Pakistan would host talks between the United States and Iran in the coming days, though it remains unclear whether they would be direct or indirect.
Two more members of the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq were hanged Tuesday in Iran, state media reported.
The two men were identified as Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi.
Amnesty International has said Tehran’s Revolutionary Court convicted the men on charges of armed rebellion against the state “following a grossly unfair trial in October 2024” after they were subjected to torture.
Two other MEK members had been hanged Monday over the same case.
Displaced children talk inside Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, now used as a shelter for people displaced by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Residents inspect a damaged house following an Iranian missile strike in Shefaram Israel, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A woman waves an Iranian flag during a campaign in support of the government at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A portrait of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, is seen, as smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A displaced woman walks next to tents set up inside the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, which has been turned into a shelter for people displaced by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
