By Stephanie Sorrina Beecher, Wisconsin Inno
Everstream, a fiber-based network services provider, has deepened its roots in Wisconsin with an expansion into the Greater Milwaukee area.
The Cleveland company has announced two fiber rings under construction in the region, starting in the city’s western suburbs and stretching into the western portion of downtown Milwaukee. About 172 network miles will be lit this November, with the project expected to total more than 560 miles by the end of 2020. The company is investing about $27 million throughout the Milwaukee area to accommodate internet, voice and data services at speeds of up to 100 Gbps, according to a statement from the company.
For Everstream, staking ground in Milwaukee is a strategic move to expand the company’s footprint in the Midwest and a reflection of its efforts to differentiate the company from the “big telecom status quo,” said Everstream President and CEO Brett Lindsey.
“Milwaukee was recently named one of the Top 50 Places to Start a Business by Inc. magazine, and will soon host one of the largest gatherings held every four years — the Democratic National Convention,” Lindsey said in a statement. “The city is full of interesting businesses leveraging technology in innovative ways, and consequently, need high-capacity bandwidth.”
With the build-out, Lindsey says Milwaukee companies will benefit from a dense metro network and direct access to more than 10,000 route miles of fiber and connections to more than 36 data centers throughout the Midwest, including two partners in Milwaukee.
With the fiber-based network expansion underway, Everstream also announced the opening of a new local office. The site will be home to more than 20 employees, including a sales team and field engineers to support the company’s business clients. The team is currently in talks with several Milwaukee-area businesses to create network designs, Lindsey said.
“Having a local office and investing in the market means that Everstream can provide a personal service that companies want,” Lindsey says. “We can serve enterprises of all sizes, from local library systems to the nation’s top-rated health systems, and global, multinational manufacturers. Everstream’s business-only fiber network will be able to help.”
With the Milwaukee addition, Everstream says it’s on track to grow to more than 15,000 route miles of fiber in 12 markets throughout the Midwest, including metro areas in Michigan and Ohio.