Fast and reliable internet service options can be hard to come by on the periphery of Highlands.
While the Town of Highlands fiber network buildout continues, Highlands Cable Group is introducing a new technology to areas that were previously underserved.
The company recently rolled out GPON (gigabit passive optical network) service to the Holt Knob community and is planning to reach a section of Wildcat Cliffs Country Club with the service in the near future.
“GPON service is the top of the line in terms of speed and reliability,” Highlands Cable Group owner Nin Bond said. “What makes GPON different than a traditional coaxial cable connection is that the GPON fiber is carried by light over glass fiber. The only way the network can go down is if there is a physical break in a line, and in 17 years, even with the storms and things we get in Highlands, we’ve never had a line severed.”
Network engineer Rick Yinger added that Highlands Cable Group installed more fiber ports in Holt Knob than are actually needed with future expansion in mind.
“In the Holt Knob area there are 70 lots and we put in 144 ports, so there are unused points of access that we can expand from,” Yinger said. “If you think about it in terms of capacity, each physical fiber can accommodate 32 homes and we have the ability to run 144 fibers.”
GPON fiber internet still requires a modem in the home, but unlike traditional service methods it does not require a separate coaxial cable to receive television or telephone service.
“What most people have in their home is a modem that just sends out the internet signal, and then they have a cable television connection and a phone line,” Yinger said. “What we do is take the cable television signals, put them through an optical laser to change the frequency to separate them from the internet and phone frequencies, and send them over the same fiber. One unit spits out the landline phone, television connection and internet signal.”
The advantage to using one device to provide all three services via GPON is there is no need to rewire any older homes or run additional lines to the structure.
“As a consumer, people who have internet service in Holt Knob currently know what their service speed and reliability are,” Yinger said. “With the GPON in place, they now have a service available that has no on or off switch, it’s always on and always reliable. The weather can’t affect it, the number of people on the network can’t affect it, there’s no electronics to amplify a signal or anything like that. It’s the most reliable hi-speed technology hands down.”
While the speed and reliability of GPON service does come with a cost, Bond pointed out that the price point in Highlands is competitive with other providers.
Cable and telephone services come with an additional fee, but customers who choose to bundle their services do receive a discount.
“The cost of service is something that is certainly important, but what we hear all the time in Highlands is that the quality of the service is more important than the cost,” Bond said. “With GPON service available, it’s the best there is and we feel like there is a price point for everyone whether they use the internet to check email and scan social media or whether they are running a business from home.”
