MetroNet announced plans to build an advanced fiber-optic network in O’Fallon, bringing gigabit-speed internet service to residents and businesses in the city for the first time. MetroNet, the nation’s largest independently owned 100 percent fiber-optic provider, will fully fund the construction through a multi-million dollar investment. MetroNet expects construction to begin in O’Fallon next year, with the first customers coming online as neighborhood buildouts are completed.
“The City of O’Fallon is pleased to welcome MetroNet to our community,” said Mayor Bill Hennessy. “As the first city in the state of Missouri to which MetroNet will provide service, we are thrilled that residents and businesses will be among the first to have access to this new fiber-optic network option.”
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Only about 30 percent of households in the U.S. have access to the gigabit internet speeds (1,000 megabits per second) that fiber-optic networks provide. And only a small handful of cities have fiber broadly available to its homes and businesses, earning them the title “Gigabit City.” O’Fallon is now on track to achieve that designation.
MetroNet is bridging the digital divide as one of the fastest-growing providers of 100 percent fiber-optic high-speed broadband services in the nation. The company is known for its superior customer service, affordable, symmetrical speeds — meaning both upload and download speeds — of up to 10 gigabits, and no long-term contracts to homes and businesses. The company expects its network to be available to more than one million residential households and business locations in the near term, bringing competition for these services to hundreds of communities.
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“Our future-proofed network has proven valuable to the cities we partner with, and we are proud to bring that opportunity to Missouri through this partnership with O’Fallon,” said John Cinelli, MetroNet CEO. “Cities are faced with a variety of choices when trying to bridge the digital divide. MetroNet builds an impressive technical infrastructure without the use of public funds, which helps cities enormously. We are proud to have quickly become the nation’s largest and fastest growing, independently owned fiber-optic provider.”
O’Fallon residents will start seeing MetroNet trucks throughout the area as pre-construction begins. In new MetroNet markets, residents receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting, and the company provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to let residents know when the temporary construction process is beginning in their neighborhood. MetroNet crews are identified by ID tags and branded MetroNet vehicles.
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