In an update this week, Wind River Internet’s Executive Manager, Pat Lawson, explained the progress they’ve been making on fiber optic installation.
Currently, their reach spans much of 17 Mile Rd; all the way from Ethete to the Great Plains. Along the way, 100% of Great Plains is “lit up” as Pat describes. Fiber has also been installed along the North side of Riverton’s Main St; from the intersection of Main and Federal up to the old high school.
“All of the Arapahoe casinos are currently on broadband, and other businesses and medical clinics like Wind River Family and Community Healthcare too,” said Lawson.
Soon to be reaping the benefits of faster internet are residents at the Beaver Creek area. By next month (May), Beaver Creek residents will be able to experience upwards of 83 times faster speeds, depending on the plan they choose. (i.e. Gold plans can jump from 12Mb —> 1,000Mb or 1G for just $10 more) ?And businesses have the option of fiber broadband speed services up to 10 Gigabit, 10 times faster than 1 Gigabit.
Below is a map demonstrating the current path (blue) of fiber permeating the reservation and the upcoming construction (yellow).
“This is all part of our 15-year plan,” explained Lawson. “Now that the major framework has been established, we can soon begin branching out to cover much of Ethete, Arapaho, Boulder Flats, and Ft. Washakie.”
As of today, 280 homes have fiber installed and ready to switch on when residents say, “GO!” Lawson says, “Every day, approximately two will get turned on.”
If you believe you have access to fiber and would like faster internet, you can call Wind River Internet at 307-857-2004.
The new fiber plans are only $10 more a month than the old fixed wireless plans, customers have the option to keep there old wireless plans and pricing and being switched to fiber.
For example:
- WRI Silver wireless plan is 6Mb speed for $49 and the new 100Mb Fiber is $59 and 6.6 Times faster than the wireless silver plan.
- WRI Gold wireless plan is 12Mb speed for $89 the new 1 Gig Fiber is $99 and 83 Times faster than the wireless gold plan.
*Current customers will assess NO fee to switch to fiber (faster internet). New customers pay a $99 setup fee.
Unlike most fixed wireless plans, Fiber speeds are symmetrical, meaning the uploads are as fast as the download speed. For example, cable modems top out at 40Mb upload and our fiber goes up to the full 10G. Here is a chart with some examples of downloading or uploading files at different speeds.
Visit WRI’s website for more info or call Wind River Internet at 307-857-2004 or email [email protected] to learn more.