Fiber optics coming into view

Faster internet is coming soon.

Construction workers and large spools of red, green and blue wire could be spotted along Highway 130/230 Thursday just outside of the Saratoga town limits. Those wires are fiber optic lines.

“We are out to increase the speed of the internet,” said foremen Randy Asay who was at the site laying line Thursday.

Union Wireless, the company funding the project, is setting out to dramatically increase the internet for subscribers county-wide. The company is also looking to expand cellular service throughout the county.

Current Union Wireless customers who subscribe for internet services have a speed of 1.5 megabits per second.

“What we could see as far as a theoretical match is 20 megs on the down link,” said Brian Woody, Chief Customer Relations Officer for Union Wireless.

Woody said the company has been working on setting the project in motion for about two years. Union Wireless hopes to complete the project this summer.

Most of the work was getting approval from landowners and the Bureau of Land Management to dig, Woody said.

Subscribers who are happy with their current internet speed can choose to keep that service, Woody said. The faster internet service will be available at an additional cost.

Union Wireless made the decision to provide a higher speed internet connection because they saw a need in the community, Woody said.

“Part of it was the school is Saratoga,” Woody said. “We saw they needed a much bigger pipe to the internet.”

Schools across Carbon County School District No. 2 have been investing a lot of money in iPads for educational purposes. Some schools like HEM Junior/Senior High School, that has grants to put iPads in the hands of students, could enhance education quality with a faster internet connection.

Union Wireless also has a $23 million grant from the FCC to expand cellular services in rural communities throughout Carbon County.

Union Wireless, once they have the money, will use the money to expand services to at least 13,577 miles of roads throughout the state of Wyoming and bring 3G and 4G speeds to Carbon County, Woody said.

“It covers a big portion of Carbon County, and allows 3G and 4G in places where it really isn’t economical to offer that service,” Woody said.

The FCC told Union Wireless Sept. 27 last year it got the grant. Union Wireless has yet to get the money, Woody said, but as soon as they do, they will start the project to bring 3G and 4G to Carbon County, Woody said.