Heartland Fiber Project Addresses Rural AI Hyperscaler Opportunities
Updated: Sep 29
DCN, Range, and WIN Technology Heartland Fiber Project addresses rural AI hyperscaler opportunities
Lightwave | May 28, 2026
The joint initiative expands long‑haul fiber infrastructure to meet growing data demands.
Key Highlights
The project spans Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, with construction beginning this summer and deployment over the next one to two years.
It enhances connectivity options for hyperscalers seeking alternatives to Northern Virginia, driven by increased data demands from AI and large-scale computing.
DCN, Range, and WIN bring extensive fiber assets—over 70,000, 6,500, and 22,000 miles respectively—to create a resilient, scalable network supporting future growth.
The initiative exemplifies rural telco industry collaboration, leveraging collective assets to meet the evolving needs of hyperscalers and regional businesses.
Beyond hyperscalers, the network will serve a broad range of business and wholesale customers with dark fiber, Ethernet, and optical wavelength services.
Read the entire Lightwave article here.
