SALEM — Construction began last week on a citywide privately-funded fiber-optic cable network, which the city hopes can bring faster internet service to Salem residents at lower prices.
This project, a partnership with SiFi Networks and GigabitNow, will offer residents a competitor to Comcast, which currently holds a monopoly on internet service in the city.
“We are excited to begin construction in Salem and look forward to getting to know the community while we deliver the greatest network it’s ever had,” said SiFi CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson.
Fiber-optic internet, which allows for the transmission of data through light rather than electricity, can significantly improve the speed of a network. As the cost of installing fiber networks has recently decreased, many major cities have been investing in this new infrastructure.
Last week, workers dug trenches in the Jackson Street area to test equipment and street closing methods.
This was only a small segment of the construction required to complete the project, which is set to begin in earnest early next year and will be completed by 2022.
However, GigabitNow, the internet service provider on the project, estimates that they will be able to begin providing services as early as summer 2021.
The majority of the network will be installed using micro-trenching, a technique that minimizes disruption to traffic and neighbors and to the roadway itself. It will not lead to the addition of any new overhead cables or wires, as all fiber cables will be installed underground.
SiFi Networks is funding and constructing the Salem fiber network, it’s first venture in Massachusetts. Previously, the company was focused on development projects in Europe and has only recently begun looking for opportunities to expand into the American market.
The company has already completed a similar project in Fullerton, Calif., and has additional projects underway in Kenosha, Wis., East Hartford, Conn., and Saratoga Springs, NY. Following the construction of the Salem project, SiFi hopes to expand to other Massachusetts towns and cities.
The company focuses largely on smaller cities like Salem, which companies like Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber don’t have their eyes on and which have shown a desire for competition with only one telecommunications or cable company.
Because the business models for SiFi and GigabitNow rely on being competitively priced with Comcast, it is likely that the company will attempt to provide lower prices for their services than those currently available to Salem residents.
In addition to the increased network speeds, the new system also allows the city to utilize SiFi’s Smart City applications, which can assist in education, health and waste management.
“We are delighted that SiFi Networks has chosen to deliver a fiber network in our city,” said Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll in a SiFi press release.
“A fiber network can really provide the infrastructure to improve economic development, increase quality of life for our residents and allow us to plan for the future.”
Salem resident William Phu, who uses the local internet network to telecommute to his job in Boston, was excited about the potential of fiber.
“If I want high speed internet, Comcast is currently the only option right now,” said Phu.
“Hopefully (fiber will) make things more competitive, or at the very least, could be a draw for business and new residents to help Salem stand out.”
