InfoWest delivers fiber internet, smart home technology to new Cedar City development

NicoElNino/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — InfoWest, Southern Utah’s “internet people,” have introduced fiber optic internet and smart home connectivity for the residents of the new Blackstone development, a community of luxury townhomes in the hills above Cedar City. 

Blackstone townhomes, Cedar City, Utah, date not specified | Photo from Ironhorse website, St. George News / Cedar City News

The InfoWest team partnered with Leavitt Land & Investment and Quantum Construction & Development to install one-gigabit per second fiber internet service and smart home technology in every Blackstone unit. 

“It’s very future-proof,” InfoWest Chief Operating Officer Randy Cosby said. “We’re putting in all the best and all the latest equipment that’s available from industry-leading manufacturers and partners that we have. It’s going to be a killer service for this subdivision.” 

Along with internet service, the fiber optic backbone has been integrated into home automation and security. Blackstone residents can adjust their thermostats, open and close their garage doors, keep an eye on their security cameras, receive doorbell notifications and monitor burglar alarms with police dispatch using their smartphones. Everything will be ready to use when owners move into the homes. 

InfoWest worked with the developers to plan for fiber connectivity before the first lot was cleared, Cosby said. They will continue to provide the service throughout the hundreds of units that are expected to be built in Blackstone over the next few years. 

Blackstone is InfoWest’s first residential fiber project in Cedar City. They have brought the service to a handful of developments farther south, most recently the Sienna Hills community in Washington City. With partner Go Fiber, they serve businesses throughout the St. George area and are currently expanding into Iron County. 

“We’re looking for other projects like this one, where we can partner with a developer to make sure from day one that as people move in, they’re going to have the top internet service in the area,” Cosby said. 

Providing a significant upgrade in speed and reliability from traditional broadband, fiber can accommodate multiple services, including television, phone and security in addition to internet connectivity. 

Jirsak/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

Ryon Bowler, director of sales for InfoWest, said residents of fiber-connected communities like Blackstone will enjoy an internet experience that’s “ridiculously fast.” But even more important than speed is the stability of the network. 

“It can provide a quality internet connection to the customer for years to come,” Bowler said. “Hopefully, it’s the last internet connection you’ll need.”  

While not a new technology, fiber optic connectivity service has only become widely available in recent years due to falling installation costs. It travels by light over a fiber optic cable rather than down a copper line using electricity, allowing it to move faster over a greater distance. With copper, bandwidth is limited by the size of the cable and the amount of electricity that can be transmitted across the circuit, but fiber optic offers plenty of room to grow. 

“Nowadays, everything is connected to the internet – from your television to your stove to your baby monitor to your security cameras,” InfoWest Chief Technical Officer Cassidy B. Larson said. “The bigger pipe you have, the less issues you might have with speed and accessibility.” 

InfoWest currently offers a maximum bandwidth of one gigabit per second, but Larson said the network can be upgraded as technology continues to evolve and customer demand increases. 

“Fiber has unlimited potential,” he said. “We’ll see what the future holds.” 

Larson said InfoWest offers the most diverse fiber network in Southern Utah, with connections to Salt Lake City and multiple locations in California, plus more on the way. They can use up to four fiber routes, whereas most local internet providers only have one or two. This enhances the user experience for services like Netflix, which comes directly from Google in Los Angeles. 

From the early days of dial-up through the Wi-Fi takeover, InfoWest has provided a quality internet experience to homes and businesses in Iron County for 20 years and counting. 

“We’re excited to continue to invest in the community of Cedar,” Larson said. “We live in the community that we serve and will continue to reinvest in making the network better.”

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News

• S P O N S O R E D  C O N T E N T • 

Resources

  • InfoWest | Telephone: 866-463-6937Website.
  • Locations:
    • St. George: 435 E. Tabernacle St.
    • Cedar City: 360 W. 200 North.
    • Cedar City: 755 S. Main St., Suite 5.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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