What Fiber Optic Internet Means for Southwest Missouri

Perhaps you’ve heard on the news or seen various construction sites along the streets of Springfield. Gigabit internet is coming to Springfield, thanks in part to a partnership between CenturyLink and City Utilities. What does this mean for Springfield and Southwest Missouri? CKC Data Solutions explains.

More Infrastructure for the Future

Google made waves in 2011 when it announced it was bringing ultra-high-speed internet through its Google Fiber to the Kansas City area thanks to fiber optic line installations. Gigabit speeds were unheard of back then. Fast forward to 2019, when CU announced it was adding 1,000 route miles of underground fiber optic cable to expand on the 700 route miles already available through SpringNet. This increases the fiber optics capability throughout the city by 143 percent or nearly 1.5 times the fiber optics distance than what was previously laid.

Faster Internet Speeds

Why gigabit internet and fiber optics? Fiber carries more signals at a faster speed and more information with less (if any) signal degradation over long distances. Homes and businesses will see faster internet speeds for everyday applications. Gigabit internet allows you to download 940 Mbps (megabytes per second) of data. More on what this means in a moment.  But faster internet isn’t everything.

Better Streaming Applications

One drive for this technology comes from streaming capabilities. Traditional internet speeds through cable modems top out at 100 Mbps or one-tenth of gigabit internet. Many (if not most) businesses in Springfield already have this capability because they need more bandwidth and better internet for commercial applications. The new fiber in Springfield will help residential homes get faster internet. This is particularly helpful as more and more people work from home while students attend school at home during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Faster internet speeds help with streaming and video applications. Workers who need video conferencing capabilities at a home office and kids who need to connect with teachers through video chats will now be able to utilize these technologies in a better way with the expansion of gigabit internet in Southwest Missouri.

How Does This Help Springfield Businesses?

When City Utilities finishes the installation work, more than 100,000 homes and businesses will see download speeds of up to 1 gigabit, according to KY3.  CenturyLink’s Chris Denzin, the vice president of consumer sales, states, “Springfield residents and businesses need fiber to efficiently support numerous internet connections for cloud-based applications, smart home devices, education, healthcare, video streaming and gaming. CenturyLink fiber internet service can provide the capacity subscribers need, now and into the future.” Dean Thompson of City Utilities iterated, “Access to reliable high-speed broadband services drives economic development and is essential to every community.”  Another consideration comes from the 50,000 college students who live in Springfield while attending classes. Faster internet speeds help them with homework and connecting with assignments and research, whether they live in residence halls on campus or off campus. Gigabit internet can also help them connect with friends and family out-of-town.

Need More Information? Contact CKC Data Solutions

Facilities and businesses may need additional fiber optic capabilities installed, even as City Utilities expands the fiber optic network throughout Springfield. Contact us today or call (417) 812-5251, and we’ll discuss your requirements.