wiredinUSA November 2014

Fiber expansion Unite Private Networks (UPN) has announced a major fiber optic network expansion in Iowa. The nearly 700-mile route will create a diverse ring around the state, connecting all major metro areas in central and eastern Iowa including Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Iowa City and Davenport. Initial construction of the fiber optic began in September and is expected to be complete in late 2015. The new heavy-count fiber network will support several anchor customers including fiber-to-the-tower and small cell deployment projects for a major wireless carrier. “This is exactly the kind of broadband infrastructure investment Iowa needs to be attracting,” said John Stineman, executive director of the Heartland Technology Alliance, a regional coalition of business and consumer technology users that advocates for technology and broadband-friendly policies. “UPN’s investment will connect Iowans at faster speeds in more places – helping to drive commerce and innovation. Iowa needs to encourage more investments like this in our broadband infrastructure.” “We expect customers to benefit from the lower latency and route diversity provided by the new fiber network. We look forward to providing broader access to the suite of UPN products, including ethernet services from 10Mbps to 100Gbps, wavelength services, Internet access, and dark fiber,” said Jason W Adkins, UPN senior vice president of sales and marketing. “No other carrier has added this much fiber in Iowa in years,” said Steve Bergeron, UPN director of sales.

wiredInUSA - November 2014 i I

wiredInUSA - November 2014

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