Rural Colorado: Ciena to Setup Whole Fibre Network for 5G and Internet

Ciena, a Hanover-based telecommunication company, will build a wholesale fiber network across a rural part of Colorado under Project Thor to set up 5G network and services.

The 230,000 residents of the region will see the network creating a bridge between the existing 400 miles of public and private fiber into a wider network. The network will be operated by Mammoth Networks, situated in Wyoming.

The contract was approved by the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG). NWCCOG is responsible for bringing together 28 jurisdictions in a five-county region of the north-western part of Colorado covering an area of 18,000 sq. km.

Nate Walowiz, regional broadband director of NWCCOG said that fiber cut not only affects consumers in towns but also affects mobile carriers, hospitals, schools, public safety centres, and other major important services.

According to NWCCOG, the existing network in the rural parts of Colorado is vulnerable to mass failures when there is any problem in the fiber line. Majority of the fiber line for the project has already been deployed and is boosted by the existing networks of Colorado’s transportation department.

Evan Biagi, VP of business development at Mammoth Networks said that Ciena and its partners are helping out Mammoth Networks to develop strong and flexible network architecture that can provide an open, secure and redundant broadband to NWCCOG members at a nominal cost.