Oglesby’s city council wants the city to be among those with the fastest internet speeds. It has approved a ten-year deal with Surf Broadband Solutions to run fiber-optic internet throughout the city and provide the service.
Senior Vice President Cesare Bratta says his company, also known as Surf Air Wireless, recognizes that wireless is reaching its limit. Wireless internet with more bandwidth is moving into frequencies that don’t go very far efficiently. He says there’s still plenty of bandwidth in fiber. And as people use more TV’s and video game systems that connect to the internet, they need it.
Audio PlayerSurf Broadband’s plans start at $35 per month for 50 megabits per second. The aim is to make Oglesby a “gigabit city” with internet speeds up to a gigabit per second.
City Commissioner Jason Curran says the agreement approved this week sets some rules the company and the city will follow as Surf Broadband runs more fiber to more parts of town. The company will lease poles for $20 each per year, and there are fees to pay for assessing which poles are most suitable for it. Just how long it’ll take to start offering connections hasn’t been determined yet. Curran says the company will develop its build-out plan this spring and summer.