GILLETTE, Wyo. — Visionary Broadband, a Gillette-based internet service provider, has added hundreds of miles of fiber internet in communities across Wyoming sine Jan. 1, according to a press release.
Per the release, Visionary considers fiber internet a superior technology because it offers faster upload speeds than both DSL and cable internet. Fiber internet does not contain any copper wire, like that found in coaxial cable, so internet connection won’t get interrupted by weather or electrical interference.
Fiber internet is also an individualized, point-to-point connection, which means neighbors’ usage won’t affect people’s speeds, the release states. It is a scalable technology that can add more capacity without additional digging. Customers can increase speeds by gigabytes by simply updating their modems once they are on fiber internet.
Fiber currently covers 11% of the state, placing Wyoming at 32nd in the U.S. for fiber coverage. Meanwhile, cable covers 74% and DSL 86% of the state, putting Wyoming at 46th in the nation for both metrics.
The most critical element of Visionary’s fiber build is the reliability created by its Figure-8 ring
system, the release states. This two-ring system runs from Gillette, Wyoming, to Billings, Montana, to Casper to Cheyenne in Wyoming to Denver, Colorado, and then back to Gillette. The system is the backbone of better fiber networks and it is not widely available, especially in Wyoming, the release states. After developing the larger system, Visionary is connecting communities to the Figure-8 system.
Casper, Gillette, Douglas, Wright and Cheyenne are the first Wyoming markets to have this infrastructure. The fiber internet rings are two 100-gig rings coming into and out of each community, which creates significant network capacity and ensures that the network runs if something happens to one of the rings. As a result of this design, these communities will not have to dig this infrastructure back up in 10 or 20 years, the release states.
“Even with the historic snowfall in Wyoming, we are going block by block to bring quality fiber internet to homes and businesses. Our teams worked through a 100-inch snow winter to bring our signature Figure-8 ring system to Casper, Gillette and other communities. We’re building reliable internet that will last for decades with the capacity to expand without additional construction,” said Visionary CEO Brian Worthen.
Visionary isn’t the only provider utilizing fiber internet. Fiber internet provider Bluepeak launched its service in Casper in April 2022 following a $24 million investment to build a high-speed fiber network for nearly 24,000 homes and businesses in the city.
Correction, Aug. 9 Visionary is based in Gillette, not Cheyenne, a Visionary spokesperson said. The article above has been corrected.