A Fiber Network for the Future: What Midco’s Fiber Investment Means for the Telecommunications Industry

Every day, the world – including 8 billion people ¹ and 334 million companies ² - relies on the internet to not only function but survive. Necessities we take for granted use the internet to quickly transfer data to buy stocks for financial freedom, accurately translate records to provide lifesaving medicines and correctly share pricing structures to help customers purchase essential items. Our lives revolve around the internet, which means you need a provider committed to investing in the future so you can stay connected at all times.  

An Ever-Evolving Information Superhighway 

An estimated 328.77 million terabytes of data are created every day. This year alone, 120 zettabytes of data will be generated.³ These numbers are unprecedented and are only projected to grow, with statistics estimating that in 2025, 181 zettabytes of data will be created. Compare that to the 2 zettabytes generated less than 15 years ago.³  
  
This data isn’t surprising, and Midco has been continuously preparing for this increased usage. We set out to enhance our equipment, systems, network and technology to meet the growing demand.

Fiber Forward: Midco’s Investment in Communities  

Midco started upgrading and expanding all of its fiber network as part of a $500 million investment with Fiber Forward in 2021. This generational project will increase the size of the fiber network to 22,000 miles by 2030. We are also heavily investing in our business network for our enterprise and wholesale customers. 2024 is the second year of our four-year upgrade in which we’ve committed $20 million to enhancing the experience of these customers. This includes $8 million in upgrades for our transport network, which was completed in 2023.    
  
According to Pao Lo, Midco’s Vice President of Network Engineering, “This upgrade is increasing the capacity of our business network to handle more utilization from our clients.”  

We’ve built a 400G transport network across our whole footprint, something national providers have yet to achieve. Our upgrades also enable our business network to support 10G Ethernet services in the access network, supporting customers with 10G or 100G MPLS services. 

This upgrade isn’t just increasing capacity. It’s improving the quality of services. Recently, Midco tested the latency of the optical network from Spearfish, SD, to Chicago, IL, and achieved less than 20 millisecond latency.  

These are distinct differentiators as most competitors are currently unable to support these large capacities and latency measurements on wavelength/optical services. This means a Midco network with fast, symmetrical speeds, low latency, unmatched reliability, extreme computing capabilities and rock-solid security for your enterprise and wholesale businesses.  

“We understand that our customers’ needs and demands are continually changing. Because of this, we want to be able to provide lightning-fast speeds to transport data, especially with upload and download times. With our upgrades from 100G to 400G on Midco’s transport network, we knew we were setting ourselves apart in the market, creating new and better opportunities for our clients and the telecommunications industry.”  

Pao Lo, Midco Vice President of Network Engineering 

Midco is bringing critical telecommunications advancements to businesses and wholesalers to increase their ability to provide a positive customer experience every time, regardless of changes in traffic or bandwidth. Midco continues to build redundancy and resiliency into the fiber network, allowing our customers to work regardless of unforeseen issues and safeguarding them to have access to their data, files and other information at all times.  
 
 “Midco is setting its customers up for success whenever bandwidth demands hit, providing a seamless transition and consistent functionality for our clients to do what they do best, serve and provide for their customers,” encouraged Lo.  
  
We know you’re committed to your customers. That’s what drives Midco to research and actively pursue opportunities to upgrade and invest in state-of-the-art technologies so that you can offer the best and most current products and services to your customers.  

Reliability Matters  

Midco operates several national points-of-presence (PoPs), including Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha and Kansas City. What makes our recent upgrades significant is that with our continued expansion and advancement, the hubs in Denver and Chicago are linked thanks to Midco’s reliable and fast fiber network. Plus, our route to Chicago is through diverse and unique paths. This enables our customers to access resources outside our network footprint while remaining on the trusted Midco fiber network. 

Forging Ahead as an Industry Leader 

Since 1931, Midco has focused on the future and how we could improve the lives of our customers with the best products possible. Midco has expanded our transport network to support up to 400G wavelengths in all connected Midco markets, thereby ensuring customers get top-of-the-line technology.  

“Our fiber network is wholly operated and managed by Midco. It’s something we’re really proud to offer our customers. They can be confident knowing who is managing their precious data and information,” said Lo.  

This means less equipment, splices and handoffs because we control every inch of our network 

The Smart Choice for Your Services  

For financial, educational, public service and health-related industries, it’s important to have a network that can instantly handle changes in capacity, so customers and employees avoid experiencing downtime or slowing speeds. 

When you’ve partnered with a business communications provider that’s investing in your future by providing unmatched services, you know you’ve found someone who cares about your business just as much as you do.  

• Trusted provider: Our engineering and account management teams have a combined 200 years in the industry who are always developing forward-thinking initiatives to provide advanced services for our customers.  
• Reduced costs: If you rely on the internet to operate, downtime in your connection could mean a slowdown in your profits. We provide a reliable network so you can keep business moving.  
• Quality connection: Our network is Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 3.0 Certified, meaning we met the highest level of performance, assurance and agility. Plus, every mile of our owned network is monitored 24/7 by our Network Operations Center.
• Standard of service: Midco understands that when a business has access to a reliable fiber network, it becomes a tool to help create customer loyalty and make everything else run smoothly.  

When it comes to finding the right business communication solution for you, Midco understands there's not a one-size-fits-all approach. We specialize in various levels of products and services, which means we’re here to grow with you and your business.  
  
“Technology is a revolving door, with new developments coming in and out all the time. Midco is excited to be there for our customers to provide best-in-class services and products, no matter what comes through that door next,” added Lo.