It was a big year for broadband in Indiana – and an even bigger year for Intelligent Fiber Network! From local bills passing the Indiana legislature to Governor Holcomb’s $1 billion “Next Level Connections” infrastructure plan, the Hoosier state saw meaningful investments in broadband this year. IFN is thrilled to see this growth in our state.
We’re not just watching the growth, though, we’re a part of driving it. From rebranding our company to rolling out statewide network upgrades, IFN has been keeping pace with Indiana’s investments in broadband in order to continue to be the first choice of businesses and carriers for fast, always-on, innovative connectivity solutions that enable our customers to succeed.
New Name, Unchanged Service & Commitment
In September 2018, Indiana Fiber Network officially became Intelligent Fiber Network. With IFN’s new name, not only did we want to preserve how our customers and communities saw us (as IFN), but we also wanted to showcase the increasingly complex technical design of the high-speed fiber networks we deploy by calling them what they are: Intelligent!
This rebrand also removed any artificial geographical limitations that would have tied us just to Indiana. We want to be the premier choice for businesses and organizations looking for fiber connectivity wherever our growth may take us. And our headquarters are staying put right here in Indiana.
Exponential Growth
IFN’s rebrand reflects our vision and mission while also setting us up for future growth – and the future is now. In 2018 alone, IFN increased employment by 30 percent. Notable was our addition of Director of Human Resources Susan Hofer in February who completed our leadership team as we prepared for IFN’s rebrand. We’re continuing to add to our team, and we look forward to our continued team growth in 2019. You can check out our current open job postings here.
Partnerships & Upgrades
We’re not just growing internally, though. In April of 2018, IFN announced we had begun a multi-year, multi-million-dollar network upgrade across the state to increase capacity and improve broadband access reliability. The upgrades are increasing capacity, improving stability, and adding efficiency to enhance our customers’ service experience. The first phase of the project was completed in summer of 2018, and additional phases begin in the first quarter of 2019.
In May, IFN also announced a contract with the Whitley County Commissioners to augment our network to serve the Park 30 Business Center and additional businesses along the U.S. Highway 30 corridor. We constructed the facilities in and around the Park 30 Business Center to properly service area businesses along the fiber route, which were completed in July 2018. This was the first of many partnerships we’re looking forward to establishing in the coming years as we build additional fiber in northwest Indiana and upgrade existing fiberlines in northeast Indiana and across the state.
We are proud of the growth we saw in 2018, and we look forward to continuing that growth in 2019. How can we help your business grow?
See some of the biggest IFN news stories of 2018:
- Industry Spotlight: IFN CEO Jim Turner
- Technology column: Indiana Fiber Network to reach Park 30
- Indiana Fiber Network Details Major Infrastructure Investment
- The Real Cost to Bring Broadband to Rural Indiana
- Indiana Fiber Network Rebrands
- Closing the Digital Divide in Indiana
- 2018: A Year of Change For Indiana’s Broadband