How a Leased Fiber Agreement Led to a WIN-WIN Community Solution
To support and connect the local library, schools and some additional municipal buildings in the community, a Midwest Public Utility built and maintained a fiber optic ring. However, as a Community Area Network, the utility company lacked the resources needed to extend its network services to all organizations in the area.
The idea of leasing fibers to a third-party organization to connect organizations in their community to the greater internet, was new to the utility company. However, when WIN’s Senior Strategic Planning Manager reached out to see if they would be interested in leasing some dark fiber to WIN, they were. The discussion took some time, but WIN’s Outside Plant team worked diligently with the company to put everything in place.
Providing a New Choice for Internet Service
Obtaining dark fiber from the utility company enabled the WIN team to extend their network services throughout the community. Before obtaining the fibers, the community had a select few internet providers to choose from, and it would have been too costly for WIN to build out its own fiber network within the city. The newly established partnership meant that essential organizations such as hospitals and grocery stores now had access to a fast, secure and scalable network solution that could ensure uptime and optimal performance.
Connecting a Local Hospital to its Patients
WIN’s first client after obtaining the dark fiber was a local hospital. Utilizing the fiber ring allowed WIN to provide the hospital with a high-speed, low latency connection quickly and at a significantly lower cost to the hospital.
But that’s not all. After providing the hospital with the service they had requested, the WIN team went the extra mile (WIN Way #20) to provide the hospital with fiber diversity. By connecting the Public Utility’s fiber to two of the fiber routes that WIN already owned, the hospital could rest assured that if one fiber route is damaged, their network connection would not be impacted.
A WIN-WIN Solution
The partnership between the Public Utility and WIN benefited both the local community and the utility company itself. Local businesses could now provide enhanced services to the community thanks to WIN’s fiber network. And, by leasing fibers to WIN, the utility company is receiving ongoing financial benefits that can be used to enhance the community in other ways.