The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) deployed 2,969,784 feet of underground fiber throughout Utah, Idaho and Montana last year. The expansion occurred despite supply chain and labor issues, the company said.
UTOPIA is a community owned fiber-based open-access network that serves more than 130,000 residents and consumers in 50 communities.
The organization provided a thorough update. It signed its twentieth Utah city for residential services and completed buildouts to 14 cities, including the original 11. The organization added more than 20,000 gigabit speed customers, including almost 1,000 businesses. The network became home to almost 400 10 Gbps customers, including almost 300 businesses. Data centers, state agencies and institutions of higher education signed on for 100 Gbps service.
UTOPIA Fiber also reported on customer ratings. It scored a 4.6 Google rating and a Net Promotor Score of 64.
UTOPIA Fiber Expansion
“What we’re seeing here is that cities want to be ready for what’s to come,” UTOPIA Fiber Executive Director Roger Timmerman said in a press release. “There’s increasing competition among cities and regions for talent, opportunity, and a better quality of life for all residents. Cities with UTOPIA Fiber are incredibly well-positioned for the future. Fiber is the infrastructure that drives the digital economy, supports advanced wireless, and enhances the quality of life through seamless streaming, gaming, and other high-bandwidth applications.”
Last May, West Valley City, UT, became what city manager Wayne Pile called the largest city in Utah fully connected to fiber and the “the second largest in the United States to be fully connected.” Pyle also is the chair of the UTOPIA Fiber Board.
In March 2022, construction began on an open-access FTTH network in Bozeman and Gallatin, MT. The build was a cooperative effort of UTOPIA and Yellowstone Fiber, which formed a 501(C)(3) and secured $65 million in a private funding round for the project.
Much of the organization’s progress can be traced to November 2019, when the Utah Infrastructure Agency (UIA) received $48 million in funding for the expansion of the UTOPIA Fiber Network.
Updated to incorporate a correction made to the UTOPIA press release about how much fiber was laid in 2022
