UTOPIA FIBER RELEASES 2021 NUMBERS THAT SHOW A BIG YEAR OF GROWTH THROUGHOUT UTAH AND THE WEST

The Network Laid Enough Fiber to Stretch from Salt Lake City to the International Space Station and Back

Two-Thirds of New Customers Select 1 Gbps or Higher

Murray, UTAH (February 14, 2022) – In a year plagued by supply chain shortages, funding uncertainties, and labor woes, UTOPIA Fiber continued its astonishing growth for the 12^th consecutive year. UTOPIA Fiber, America’s largest and most-successful Open Access fiber network, released its 2021 numbers today that showed more cities, more service providers, and more customers making the switch to the community-owned network. According to Roger Timmerman, UTOPIA Fiber’s Executive Director, the company laid 2.4 million feet of fiber last year, close to 40 miles per month.

“Fiber is in great demand by people looking to stream, game, work remotely, and to power Smart homes and devices. We’re rising to the occasion. In 2021, we added three new cities, made fiber available to 26,000 new homes, and laid 455 miles of fiber optic cable. That’s about the distance from Salt Lake City to the International Space Station and back,” explained Timmerman.   

UTOPIA Fiber achieved a great deal of success in the financial markets in 2021, too, taking out close to $90 million worth of bonds. Notably, in the last 12 years, UTOPIA has now designed, built, and financed nearly $400 million worth of fiber projects—almost a quarter of that in the last year alone.

Each day, crews worked quickly to connect homes, businesses, and institutions to the network. In Utah, construction was completed in Payson and Midvale Cities and Syracuse and Pleasant Grove Cities joined the UTOPIA Fiber network—adding 7,500 new subscribers. Notably, 505 businesses and 139 schools and anchor institutions were connected. In Montana, Yellowstone Fiber (formerly Bozeman Fiber) joined the network, which will provide Open Access fiber to rural Gallatin County and all 22,000 homes, businesses, and institutions in the City of Bozeman.  

Notably, UTOPIA provided more choice for consumers and businesses as it increased its partnership with private-sector internet service providers (ISPs) adding ConnectFast, The Telecom Company, and Miles Broadband—the 14^th, 15^th, and 16^th ISPs to join the network. Perhaps the biggest change in 2021 was that 65% of new subscribers on the UTOPIA Fiber network selected speeds of 1 Gbps or higher—a significant jump from 48% a year ago.

“It’s all about speed. The community wants faster speeds and they certainly want us here yesterday. We’re working hard to deliver,” said Timmerman.

Here’s how UTOPIA Fiber’s 2021 numbers add up:

• 1.33 million feet of underground conduit installed
• 2.4 million feet of fiber cable placed
• 24 new footprints released
• 25,994 new homes able to connect
• 7,479 new residential subscribers
• 139 new anchor institutions and schools
• 505 new business connections
• 4.5-star overall Google rating
• 2 new fully-connected cities (Payson and Midvale)
• 3 new cities joined the network (Bozeman, Pleasant Grove, and Syracuse)
• 13 new employees

Timmerman, stated that “UTOPIA Fiber’s network is designed and built for scalable growth, meaning that as technology advances and community needs change, UTOPIA Fiber can quickly adapt. Cities with UTOPIA Fiber are not only reaping the economic and social rewards today, they’re well positioned for the future,” he said.

Communities interested in partnering with UTOPIA Fiber and residents and businesses seeking UTOPIA Fiber service can visit utopiafiber.com for service maps, build-out timelines, and other information.

UTOPIA Fiber is an inter-local agency that provides Fiber-to-the-Home services in 19 Utah cities, and commercial services in over 50. UTOPIA Fiber is an Open Access network, meaning that it builds the infrastructure and allows private sector ISPs usage to offer services. Residential internet services start at $60/month for 250/250 Mbps, with speeds up to 10 Gbps (up to 100 Gbps for business) from 16 local providers—the fastest internet speeds in the nation.