News and Events

Sioux Falls, SD: Midcontinent Communications® and Cisco today announced the deployment of the Cisco^® cBR-8 next-generation converged cable access platform (CCAP) across Midcontinent’s entire network footprint. Midcontinent^® is among the first providers in North America to implement this Cisco technology to prepare the Northern Plains Network™ for gigabit-level Internet speeds by the end of 2017.

“This Cisco technology aligns with our strategy and vision to deliver Gigabit-speed Internet experiences that will change the quality of life and spur business innovation in the communities we serve,” says Jon Pederson, Vice President of Technology at Midcontinent. “With our customers’ bandwidth consumption doubling every 15 months, we need the right technology in place to support our network demands now and in the future.”

While Midcontinent has long delivered gigabit speeds and higher (up to eight terabits per second) through direct fiber connections to larger businesses, the company’s gigabit initiative will make gigabit speeds available to a wider range of customers – all through the DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem.

Homes and smaller businesses seeking gigabit Internet speeds will require a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, which will receive those speeds from the Midcontinent network equipped with the CCAP technology from Cisco.

This new technology upgrade enables higher performance for cable modems Midcontinent customers are currently using today. It also prepares the Midcontinent network for massive performance improvements when DOCSIS 3.1 modems become available in the marketplace in early 2016.

“Midcontinent is blazing the trail to offer Internet of Everything experiences at gigabit speeds, opening the door for its customers to discover new ways to enjoy a true connected life. Advancing its cable access architecture is a key step in the company’s well-planned network evolution strategy,” says Brett Wingo, Vice President and General Manager, Service Provider Infrastructure Group, Cisco.

“Our current deployment of the CCAP technology from Cisco really is the next major milestone in our commitment to bring the Midcontinent Gigabit Initiative to life for our region,” says Pederson.

The Midcontinent Gigabit Initiative will make gigabit speeds available to approximately 600,000 homes and 55,000 businesses across an 8,100-mile fiber network. Top speeds from Midcontinent will be five times faster than the company’s current best, which was named America’s fastest in 2014 by PCMag.com.* Midcontinent’s upcoming gigabit Internet will reach speeds 35 times faster than the average high-speed Internet in America.