New fiber optic cable will speed data

The project will link two cell phone towers servicing the Verizon network, and Verizon will purchase bandwidth from Great Plains Communications, which is based in Blair.

“We’ve been looking at Columbus for a couple of years,” said Travis Radnor, outside plant engineering manager for Great Plains Communication.

Besides the agreement with Verizon, there were multiple drivers in bringing fiber optic to the city, Radnor said.

The fiber optic cable, which consists of a bundle of glass threads used to transmit data, will replace existing copper lines. Copper offers 1.5 megabits per second while fiber can exceed 10 gigabits per second, according to the Fiber Optic Association website.

“We’ve been doing 40 gigabits-plus in some places,” Radnor said. “A lot of folks have been happy we’re coming through.”

Tuesday, Field Engineer Mike Moeller and his team from subcontractor Bauer Underground were working east from St. Isidore Catholic Church in an alley between 17th and 18th streets behind Husker Steak House burying the next length of plastic tubing that will house the fiber optic cable. Their objective for the day was to get under 33rd Avenue to the alley on the east side of the street.

“We’ve been working on this (section) for about two weeks,” Moeller said. “We’re installing on average about 1,000 feet per day.”

The fiber route will come through the business district, and a number of Columbus businesses have shown interest in taking advantage of the connection. The fiber cable will connect with a downtown-area cell tower servicing Verizon before proceeding east past the airport.

According to Radnor, Columbus’ fiber connection is branching off an existing line north of the city that serves Central Community College-Columbus, a connection Great Plains Communications built with the intention of bringing fiber to the city.

Radnor said primary customers have been institutions such as hospitals and banks. Phone companies and other Internet service providers have also connected to the fiber network.

Radnor said fiber optic cables have a higher data capacity because they use light to transfer data as opposed to copper wire’s electrical signals. Multiple light signals can be transmitted on one single fiber where copper wire can only carry a single electrical signal at a time. This electrical signal has to be amplified as it travels over greater distances, but fiber can sustain a signal over long distances without the aid of amplifiers.

Radnor also noted that fiber is moisture resistant and does suffer interference from other electrical power sources.

However, it comes at a substantially higher cost. An average user browsing the Internet or checking email has little need for the high speeds.

Radnor believes customer needs will catch up to fiber.

“I think any major bandwidth requirements definitely will require fiber at a specific time,” he said. “Take high-definition content from Netflix, for example.”

Once the fiber is installed, Great Plains Communications will be an Internet service provider. If the fiber optic cable is fully in place by the end of June, as planned, Columbus users would be able to access the fiber network by the end of July.