News release
LENORA — Nex-Tech has announced the next phase of fiber expansion will be to Salina area households. This fiber expansion provides Internet accessibility of speeds up to 1 gigabyte, allowing ample bandwidth for running multiple wireless devices (including streaming video) or supporting a work-from-home lifestyle.
Increased Internet speeds provide many benefits to residences and businesses. It allows the transfer of very large files over the Internet, like medical images or multimedia programming. A fiber infrastructure also levels the playing field for small, rural communities to compete with larger, urban areas for business growth, expansion, and economic development.
Starting in March, Nex-Tech will begin the buildout process to several residential neighborhoods in the east and south areas of Salina. The general area includes most areas east of the Smokey Hill River, and parts south of Magnolia, Belmont to Schilling, and southeast of Cloud and Ohio. For detailed areas, visit www.nex-tech.com/salina. This area of fiber expansion is estimated to be complete by the end of 2023.
In addition, Nex-Tech was recently awarded a grant from the Kansas Capital Project Funds Broadband Infrastructure Program to bring fiber to a residential neighborhood north of Salina and an area along Interstate 70 to the north and south in the Hedville area. This area of the fiber expansion will start in 2024.
“Nex-Tech expansion plans are driven in large part by our commitment to making connectivity an integral part of rural America,” says Dustin Schlaefli, Director of Customer Engagement. “That said, it is an expensive proposition, so when we build, it is with an eye to the future. We know that a 10 Mbps connection is no longer enough for the average household and demand will continue to increase as technology advances.”
For more information on Nex-Tech’s fiber expansion in Salina, visit www.nex-tech.com/salina or stop by its store during the Cocoa Crawl on Feb. 17. Nex-Tech’s local store is located at 104 N. Santa Fe, Ste. B, and will be open 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday starting on Feb. 20. Nex-Tech has 15 local employees, so when customers have a question, or need assistance, local assistance will be available.
Nex-Tech has been offering services in Salina since 2005, with a store location since that time. In addition to providing phone, internet and business technology services, the internet expansion will allow Nex-Tech to deliver TV Now service as well, providing a new option for TV service to Salina residents. Nex-Tech currently offers fiber service in nearly 60 communities throughout Kansas and was the first company in the nation to bring fiber to the home.