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Who needs Google? There’s now a Tera-POP in rural northwest Montana.

Ronan Telephone Company http://www.ronan.net has completed 90% of a 2010 ARRA stimulus grant to implement a competitive "middle mile" high-speed fiber optic backbone throughout northwestern Montana.

The project, called Montana West, utilizes the "Broadband Technology Opportunity Program" to build fiber optic cable from Polson south along Highway 93 into Missoula to the major data communications facility in Western Montana, the iConnect Montana "fiber hotel" at Higgins and Broadway.

Work is presently underway to complete the link from Kalispell through the Flathead Valley, and along the east shore of Flathead Lake to join with the completed network at Polson and to connect the communities on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to this network via fiber optic cable and microwave facilities on the Reservation coupled to a high-speed leased line from Cut Bank to Missoula.

This super high speed, low latency data thoroughfare is scheduled to be completed at the end of August, 2013. This new network will ultimately connect Whitefish, Kalispell, Libby, Big Fork, Polson, Hot Springs, Elmo/ Big Arm, Pablo, Ronan, St. Ignatius, Arlee, Evaro, Browning, East Glacier Park, Heart Butte, St. Mary and Babb to Missoula.

The Montana West network is connected to the Internet via a very high speed connection between Missoula and the Westin Data Interconnection facility in Seattle, the leading Tier 1 Point of Presence (POP) site for the Pacific Northwest. At the Westin, Montana West has established direct peering relationships with over 30 major Internet content providers to date. This arrangement enables the new network to provide high-speed Internet to rural northwest Montana at affordable prices comparable to rates available today only in urban metropolitan areas.

The goal of the stimulus program is to enhance economic development opportunities throughout the northwest area of Montana. This high capacity bandwidth will be made available to businesses in Missoula and in the rural communities along the fiber backbone. The network also includes two mated top of the line Juniper "tera-bit" core routers in Missoula and Seattle.

Anticipating the need that is currently being studied by a Missoula consortium including the Missoula City Council, the Missoula Economic Consortium and the Bitterroot Economic Development District, the Missoula iConnect facility will serve as a "Giga-POP" for the Missoula region and can grow into a "Tera-POP" as the demand for high speed data service in Western Montana expands.

For information on how your organization can take advantage of this world-class connectivity, please contact

Brandy Chisolm

406-676-9230

[email protected]

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