Regional operator Ritter Communications has deployed an all-fiber XGS-PON network to provide broadband services and cloud solutions to businesses in five communities in northwest Arkansas. The provider invested $28 million in the initiative.
The communities are Springdale, Lowell, Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville. During the past two years, Ritter has invested $60 million in 18 communities that it says previously were underserved.
Work began last July on the initiative, which is based on the XGS-PON passive optical network standard capable of 10 Gbps performance. Service will be brought to Springdale in April, Lowell and Fayetteville in June, Rogers in July and Bentonville later in the year. Service will be available incrementally as “zones” are completed in each community, according to the press release.
Ritter also announced a $50,000 donation to the Razorback Regional Gateway, a 40-mile long biking and walking trail that connects communities in the region.
“As a local Arkansas company with a new regional office presence in Rogers, Ritter Communications is bringing our Right by You pledge to NWA,” CEO Alan Morse said in a press release about the Ritter XGS-PON deployment. “That pledge purposefully has a double meaning: first, we are committed to operating as a local company right in your neighborhood and supporting your communities, and second, that we always strive to do the right thing for our customers as we deliver the most advanced, reliable services alongside an unmatched customer experience.”
Ritter Communications had an active 2020:
- In September, the company said that it had brought the XGS-PON service to Arkadelphia.
- In June, it completed a $16 million dollar investment to serve Texarkana, AR and Texarkana TX. The total was divided between a transport route along I-30 ($12 million) and building out business services ($4 million).
- In November, it opened The Ritter Communications Data Technology Center. It is an $8 million multi-user data and cloud storage facility to serve the northeast Arkansas region.
