By Autumn Lorimer
Orem residents are one step closer to living in 'utopia.'
Groundwork for the highly debated Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency project has begun.
UTOPIA, which was approved in Orem earlier this year, is a fiber optic network consisting of 14 cities along the Wasatch Front that will provide high speed internet, cable television, and telephone services.
Trench work for the fiber optic lines has begun in southwest Orem as part of the first phase of the project.
'This will make Orem a leader in this area,' said Dean Dickerson, Orem city council member. 'It''ll put Orem as one of the most technologically advanced cities in the nation, and that alone makes it worth it.'
The city plans to put most of the lines behind sidewalks and only cut holes into streets where necessary.
The lines, which the city will pay for, will cover all of Orem and run near every house and business.
'It''s in the same spirit as the road system,' said Roger Black, spokesman for UTOPIA. 'It''s a public facility for anyone to take advantage of. You are able, if you wish, to receive some of the finest services in the world.'
Once the fiber optics are in the ground, the cities will lease the lines to various companies and allow them to provide Internet, phone, and cable connections to willing customers.
'I''m just so excited about the capabilities we''ll have,' said Cameron Sawyer, spokesman for MSTAR, a provider company.
While all provider companies are given the opportunity, so far only MSTAR and AT&T have decided to contract with UTOPIA.
'You can choose to get whatever service you want,' Sawyer said.
The fiber optic lines will provide much faster capabilities to subscribers in all three services.
Black said most residents aren''t able to 'imagine the difference' with fiber optics, which creates Internet speeds up to five times faster than regular DSL.
'If you have a home video that you want to upload on a regular connection, on a good day it would actually be faster to get on a horse and ride across country,' Black said. 'That''s a little bit of a hyperbole, but not that much. With what our system will offer, you could upload that in 4 or 5 minutes.'
City planners are hoping to draw in businesses and cultivate new ideas with the system.
'The high-speed communications this will provide will attract firms that need that high speed,' said Jim Reams Orem city manager. 'I think it''s exciting. I look forward to bringing better service to the citizens of Orem.'
The project will take two to three years to complete, but the first services should be available early next year, Black said.
Regular DSL and dial-up connections will still be available to those residents who do not wish to be a part of the network.