Demand remains high for the fiber internet service offered by Owensboro Municipal Utilities as they continue to expand throughout the city. OMU is wrapping up on Segment 4 of a six-stage rollout that is expected to be complete in about two years.
OMU General Manager Kevin Frizzell said the implementation has been so well-received, and word-of-mouth has helped interest in the service grow rapidly.
“I think that the thing you see that tells the health of the business is we have a steady backlog,” Frizzell said. “As we get new customers installed, we have new customers signing up, so that’s good news for business. So it’s very steady, and as we roll out to new areas we’re seeing very consistent growth and we’re very pleased.”
The plan for installing OMUfibernet city-wide has been broken down into six phases that are based on a geographical chart that divides Owensboro into six segments.
New services have increased so much that OMU has passed their goal of reaching 20% of potential customers within the first two segments, and company officials expect the same results as they move forward.
Segment 1 has more than 1,100 subscribers with a 24% saturation rate while Segment 2 has more than 700 customers and a 29% rate. Segment 3 already has more than 400 customers and a 12% rate in the first few months after its completion.
The entire six-phase project is expected to be completed by the end of Fiscal Year 2023. OMU’s communications and public relations specialist Sonya Dixon previously said they have been deliberate in how they approach the expansion, keeping customers at top of mind while growing OMUfibernet at a sustainable rate.
Dixon said the recommendations by neighbors, friends and family to sign up for OMUfibernet has been a major factor in the successful rollout.
“I think that speaks to the services that we’re providing,” she said. “It’s what would you recommend to your neighbor or your friend or your co-worker, and a lot of that information is getting out there.”
