Wilmington, as well as dozens of cities, towns and regions in North Carolina – and thousands nationally – is experiencing an intense, competitive growth phase when it comes to their internet connections.

Fast-growing fiber optic companies Metronet, Lumos Fiber and Google Fiber are actively planning and beginning to install fiber optic across the city. Legacy companies Spectrum and AT&T have already established a business and technology footprint. Brunswick County-based Focus Broadband is working to expand access in a number of more rural counties outside of New Hanover County.

The catalyst for growth in Wilmington arises from the surge in a handful of business and personal needs. Those include ubiquitous remote entrepreneurial businesses; customer service-focused extensions of larger companies with robust needs; and health and medical companies with data or graphic-intensive communications. Plus, there's a multitude of household uses that push those needs to the max.

It all starts with construction, as in moving into Wilmington’s neighborhoods.

“We’ve had unwavering support from the city in our ambitious construction plans,” said Telly Whitfield, Metronet’s government affairs director. “And we’re all in, as shown by our $30 million investment in the community; studies have shown that fiber optic can translate into an increase in property tax values.”

Construction entailing fiber-optic cable installation began on June 28, with the first customers slated to receive service beginning this fall. Significant impacts on both residential customers (up to 5 gigabits per second) and businesses (up to 10 gigabits per second) are planned.

“It’s a two-year construction plan, neighborhood by neighborhood, and in terms of starting service we release as we go,” Whitfield said.

“We communicate in both old-school ways like signage and door hangers, and through an 800 customer service number and online options.”

Whitfield emphasizes the bigger fiber optic advantage by citing the region’s robust health systems’ high-volume use of telemedicine and electronic records submissions.

“This is just one example,” he said, “of how fiber optics works more powerfully versus the issues of coaxial cable during high-usage times. We just don’t have the lag time issue.”

Derek Kelly, Lumos Fiber’s vice president of market development, echoes Whitfield’s analysis.

“You can make the case for fiber optic for every type of business, especially but not limited to health care,” he said. “It could be a small dentist office looking to upload images or an accounting firm sending secure files or a radiologist needing the higher quality that fiber optic affords.

“Practitioners, even smaller offices, are moving much records info to cloud applications, so having that seamless upload speed is super important,” Kelly added. “And think of the advantage of a patient being able to have a virtual visit with a doctor versus an expensive ambulance trip to a hospital.”

In February, Lumos announced a $56 million project to install high-speed fiber optic cable in New Hanover County.

“Fiber will set Wilmington up for the next 50 years,” Kelly said. “For residential customers, we are offering speeds up to 5 gig in and out of the home. People in Wilmington are starting to grasp how important upload speed is and understanding the difference between cable and fiber. They see the benefit of the short-term disruption for the long-term benefit. It may be hard to imagine what future applications will use a 5-gig connection, but the installation will enable future technologies like improved cameras and remote work.”

Lumos Fiber has a key marketing message on its website that conveys its community-focused business and expansion philosophy.

“It’s about more than streaming your favorite show or sending photos. It helps fuel economic growth and attract businesses and the workforce they require,” the website states. “And beyond that, fiber internet access increases housing values and spurs community development.”

Google Fiber, a large, looming presence, is another new company player in town.

The company has a presence in 20 cities nationwide. This spring, the city of Wilmington approved an agreement paving the way for GFiber to bring its network to its first coastal Carolina metro.

Construction is slated to start in the city in the fourth quarter, with the first service expected to begin in mid-2025.

“Wilmington is a wonderful city, a fast-growing center for entrepreneurial businesses and technology,” said Jess George, Google Fiber’s east region head of governmental affairs. “And we believe we can help the residents be better connected. Whether it’s online schooling, new businesses, gaming … just the everyday, multi-device household aspect that can be overlooked.

“We’re also convinced that customers have been undeserved, overcharged. Fundamentally, we want to drive up speeds and drive down costs.”

The practical application of “future-proofing” its network and products is a driving principle, George said.

Looking at just one area – gaming – it’s obvious that keeping up with its massive data intensiveness and complex online interactions is a necessity.

Future-proofing is actually an idea common to any fiber optic company worth its salt and one that the city’s new entrants into the competition appear ready for.