Midcontinent Communications has announced they will implement a multi-million dollar project to extend their Northern Plains Network (NpNet®) from Minot, ND to Williston, ND.
Midcontinent President and CEO Pat McAdaragh said the new fiber-optic route will provide more bandwidth to communities in the oil-producing region of North Dakota. The Bakken Extension, already under construction, will connect Williston with the Northern Plains Network, which is the multi-state fiber backbone developed and operated by Midcontinent.
“The Bakken Extension means this area will have access to much more data capacity, faster speeds and world-class telecommunications services. Every community and business within a serviceable distance of our route from Minot to Williston gains from this project,” McAdaragh said.
Rapid growth around the Bakken Formation is creating demand on all manner of infrastructure from housing, to roads and sewers. North Dakota Department of Commerce Commissioner Alan Anderson points out that adequate and modern telecommunications facilities and connections are vital to development in the area.
“More fiber-optic routes from all different directions are key to supporting ‘data heavy’ businesses in oil country,” Anderson said. “This investment by Midcontinent Communications opens up new possibilities for enhancing the services available to residents and business customers.”
The network connects directly to major network hubs in Minneapolis, MN, Fargo, ND and Sioux Falls, SD. The extension from Minot to Williston will have an initial capacity of 100 gigabits per second which is expandable to 4 terabits per second as need and usage rise.
McAdaragh points to the long and rich history of Midcontinent Communications in the Great Plains. “For over eighty years Midcontinent Communications has been proudly growing with and investing in our region. This latest project, using private investment capital, shows we maintain our confidence in our valuable customers, local business, our great employees, and in North Dakota itself.”
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