Daktel, Dickey Rural set FTTH network covering 10,000 square miles in N.D.
While other large incumbent service providers such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) wind down their fiber-based broadband initiatives, two North Dakota telecom cooperatives have completed a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network that they say will provide services to every home and business in a 10,000-square mile area.
The new network, which took about 10 years to plan and build, is being run through a partnership between two of the state's largest telephone cooperatives, Dakota Central Telecommunications (Daktel) and Dickey Rural Networks.
Daktel began the planning process for the FTTH network in 2002, while Dickey Rural Networks followed with their first FTTH project in 2004.
The two service providers have invested over $90 million in the new networks, which reach about 18,000 homes.
"We are investing in our community and I feel very proud to be part of our cooperative," said Jeff Wilson, general manager of DRN.