All of Kenosha’s homeowners and business owners will have soon have access to some of the fastest internet speeds available. This week, Morristown, New Jersey-based
SiFi Networks announced plans to build a $100 million fiber optic network that will serve the entire city of Kenosha.
Called the Kenosha FiberCity project, the network is being privately funded by SiFi. Users will have access to internet speeds up to 10 Gbps, among the fastest residential speeds available in the United States. The network is expected to take three years to build.
“Kenosha residents and businesses will see a great benefit from the Kenosha FiberCity project, ensuring that affordable, high-speed internet service is available throughout the entire city,” said John Antaramian, mayor of Kenosha.
The Kenosha FiberCity project will be an open access network, a model used in other regions of the U.S. and across Europe. Open access allows fiber infrastructure to be shared by multiple service providers -- including internet, wireless, or other services -- thereby delivering the fastest speeds at the most competitive prices to the consumer.
“SiFi Networks is delighted to make the long-term investment in Kenosha because we see how fiber networks transform communities into hubs of innovation, remote work, better health care, and smart city services. With the addition of the FiberCity, Kenosha will truly become a 21
st century city,” said
Marcus Bowman, community relations manager at SiFi Networks.
The construction of the network will follow a phased timeline, with SiFi tackling one neighborhood at a time.
“We’ll be working closely with SiFi Networks to ensure a smooth construction process so we can collectively get every address in the city connected over the course of the next few years,” said Ed St. Peter, project manager for the city of Kenosha.
The Kenosha FiberCity project isn’t the only new fiber optic network coming to southeastern Wisconsin. In March, Madison-based TDS Telecommunications announced it too was breaking ground on
a new network that will serve Brookfield residents.