Middle-mile networks are once again coming into the forefront with a focus on enabling rural markets with new consumer broadband and business service opportunities.
Seeing the need for robust backbone connectivity, NTIA’s Middle Mile Program has allocated $1 billion to fund new middle mile networks. As new last mile networks are built, the need for higher capacity in middle-mile networks will become acute.
The objective is clear: provide lower-cost backhaul facilities for last mile providers looking to connect homes and businesses.
But a middle mile network is not just about consumer internet connectivity. These networks can also be used to serve the high bandwidth needs of anchor institutions like schools, libraries, and hospitals in a region.
However, a new Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) study found that many middle mile networks were built using outdated assumptions about bandwidth usage. Given these new changing patterns, FBA suggests there’s a need to build “middle mile infrastructure based on real-world concurrency trends rather than diluted averages.”
A new generation of middle mile operators are now addressing rural challenges.
Competitive fiber provider IdeaTek is taking part in State of Kansas’ Freestate Middle Mile Network, which brings together public, private and nonprofit partners to build scalable infrastructure that supports last-mile internet providers — especially those working to connect rural and underserved areas. The Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Broadband Development and the Kansas Department of Transportation are leading this statewide project.
Likewise, Astound Broadband, which is building out fiber to the home (FTTH) in rural Clallam County, Washington, is working with Public Utility District No. 1 of Clallam County (PUD) and open-access middle mile provider NoaNet to provide the county with project grant management and professional services.
To enhance the reach of rural broadband, the need for a robust middle mile network has never been more pressing.
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