Monadnock and Sullivan Counties are defined by their rolling hills and winding dirt roads, but while it makes for picturesque scenery, it's been a hindrance to developing an effective telecommunications system. New infrastructure, though, is providing Internet speeds two to 10 times faster than DSL or cable.
WiValley in Keene uses a system of wireless signals on mountaintops and other high points, repeaters to spread those signals, and fiber technology to provide Internet services. It is now taking advantage of a new fiber network being built by FastRoads, an organization that builds broadband infrastructure for rural areas.
WiValley serves more than 30 towns in NH as well as a handful of towns in Vermont, and soon many more in Massachusetts. When we started [in 2008] maybe a part of town had service, but a big majority didn't, and that's what really got us into business. A lot has changed as our [main] competition, being Fairpoint, has been expanding service, says Brian Foucher, founder of WiValley.
Foucher plans to offer high-speed broadband on the FastRoads network, using a fiber to the neighborhood approach where fiber is extended to an area and then wireless signals make the final connection between fiber and individual homes and businesses. This could offer upload and download speeds as high as 50 megabytes per second, where WiValley now offers about 15 megabytes per second.
WiValley is also adding an onsite data center. It will operate and rent space in that center, which will have redundant power, electricity and security checks. Area towns and companies will also be able to rent data space in the center. For more information, visit www.wivalley.net.
Current Issue - May 2024