Fiber-optic cable going in between Logansport and Walton

It’s all part of an Indianapolis company’s plan to expand its fiber optic network across the state to improve and enhance telecommunications.

Indiana Fiber Network is having its fiber optic cable put in underground from 600 East and Logansport Road in Cass County to Walton, said August Zehner, vice president of Sales and Marketing for the company.

The technology allows for information to be transmitted via pulses of light through a fiber. That information can come in the form of telephone, internet and wireless service along with other forms of telecommunication.

Indiana Fiber Network is owned by 20 telephone companies throughout the state. Along with providing back-office services for its owners, Zehner said IFN provides the means for internet and wireless service providers to connect to their internet service locations and wireless towers.

“We’re an underlying carrier,” Zehner said. “We work with traditional carriers, the large, national carriers, we work with wireless service providers, we work with local internet service providers that need transport out of the area.”

Indiana Fiber Network’s project in Cass County will contribute toward boosting those services in what Zehner called under-served, rural areas.

Any business, organization or institution in the area seeking faster and more reliable telecommunications stands to benefit, Zehner said.

“It could be a school, it could be a hospital, it could be a large enterprise location, it could be an internet service provider or some other communication provider that retails out the service,” Zehner said.

Cables buried between Logansport and Walton will add to about 4,200 miles Indiana Fiber Network currently has across the state, Zehner said. He added the company is taking on between 100 and 150 projects at any given time.

“We expand our fiber footprint on a pretty consistent basis,” Zehner said.

He estimates the project to span cable between east of Logansport and Walton to finish in about 60 days.