Fiber FAQ
Understanding Fiber
Fiber-optic cables contain optical fiber, which are hair-thin strands of glass specially designed to trap and transmit light pulses. Unlike copper that we are currently using, optical fiber can carry data for great distances without signal loss or interference. Optical fiber can also transmit signals in both directions simultaneously — upload and download at extremely high speeds.
A fiber connection will provide you with access to virtually unlimited bandwidth capacity and internet speed, enabling you to enjoy a better experience with data-intensive applications such as streaming, online gaming, cloud storage, online education, and more. Fiber also increases service reliability and stability. South Slope buries fiber optic cables to ensure they will endure harsh environmental factors such as sunlight, storms, snow, and high winds. Our fiber is strong, weatherproof, and UV resistant.
In addition, having a fiber connection may increase the value of a home by several thousand dollars and increase the amount renters are willing to pay.
South Slope offers internet, telephone, and TV over fiber optics.
- Ultra-fast internet plans up to Gigabit speeds – Residential Internet / Business Internet
- Reliable telephone services – Residential Phone / Business Phone
- Crystal-clear TV lineups – Residential TV / Business TV
A fiber connection can provide virtually unlimited internet speeds. We have fiber offerings of speeds up to 1 Gigabit. To put that in context, an internet speed of 1 Gigabit is equal to 1,000 Mbps. So if you currently have an internet plan with 20 Mbps speed — about average for a U.S. household — 1 Gigabit would be 50 times faster.
South Slope is in a multi-year project to convert homes from aging copper lines to fiber optic lines. We recently expanded our network in Tiffin, Solon and Fairfax and we are now expanding to Oxford! Fiber is the most advanced technology available and is part of our ongoing commitment to provide you the best way to stay connected.
Sign Up, Fees and Timeline
Check your community map and if your address falls in our fiber area, you can either complete the online form (once you enter your house number and zip, or you can can contact us to sign up for service).
Looking to get fiber to your business? Complete the interest form here.
There is no cost to complete the online form to show interest in getting fiber services. If fiber is already available at your address, contact customer service for information on services, costs and installation.
If you are a current South Slope customer within our fiber build areas, fiber will be brought to you at no charge. If you aren’t a current customer, you may be assessed a fee depending on where you live, which is due at the time we are ready to install service to your home.
For example, if you live within Solon city limits and aren’t a current South Slope customer, you will be charged a $300 fee to help cover a portion of the cost to bring service to your home. You will be given the option to make a one-time payment approximately two weeks prior to service installation to your home or pay $25 per month spread out over the first 12 months of service. (If you live in Solon rural and aren’t a current customer, you will be charged a $1000 fee.)
Following are additional fees and contract information:
Phone Service: There is no contract and there is a $25 activation fee.
Internet Service: You can have a 12-month contract with a $25 activation fee/no installation fee or you can have no contract with a $25 activation fee and $100 internet installation fee.
TV Service: A 12-month contract is required and there is a $25 activation fee, which covers the number of set top boxes included in the package. Each additional set top box is installed at $40/half hour, plus materials.
For homes, See if your address is a part of our fiber area by going here. If your address is eligible, you will be directed to an online form to sign up and let us know what services you are interested in.
For businesses, complete our online business interest form. We will follow-up with you regarding fiber services available at your location.
If you rent a house or an apartment, we will need to contact your property owner. First, give us your address here, and if your address is within our fiber build area, you will be prompted to provide your property owner’s contact information in the online sign up form.
Due to the possibility of weather delays, we cannot provide exact dates, but following is the general timeline.
Fiber line construction is complete in Solon, Tiffin and Fairfax. If you are in our fiber area, you can contact us to order service!
If you live in fiber expansion areas in Amana or Sutliff sign up by October 31, 2021 to have fiber connected to your home and you’ll get your first month of internet free (up to $100)! Following is the approximate Amana/Sutliff timeline:
- Fiber line construction: Sept. – Oct. 2021
- Fiber splicing: Sept. – Oct. 2021
- Fiber service installation: Beginning November 2021
Following is the approximate Oxford (city) timeline, however this could be delayed due to equipment supply chain issues:
- Fiber line construction: September 2021
- Fiber service installation: Beginning April/May 2022 and will take several months.
If you live in rural Oxford, South Slope was awarded funding through the U.S.D.A. ReConnect program to expand our fiber network to rural Oxford (learn more in our blog). Although it will take time to receive the funds and build the network, you can check our Oxford map now to see if your address is within the gray Interest Stage build area. If it is, please complete a Service Interest Form and we will follow up when it’s time to sign up for fiber.
Steve Cochran and Shantel English with Vantage Point Solutions will be going in person to homes to obtain permission to bring fiber to their locations.
Installation
We do our best to leave your property in good condition, but some disruptions may occur. All of our cables will be buried through plowing, which will put a temporary line in the yard and we will do our best to restore the property back to its original condition. Before digging, we locate every utility, and mark their location, to assist digging crews. Once we start locating, you may notice different colored marks on your grass, sidewalk, or street to make the fiber installation process run smoothly.
No, your fiber connection does not require a modem but we recommend a router with a firewall for security. The router provides a wireless connection (Wi-Fi) to your devices.
Yes. The old Network Interface Device (NID) you currently have will be replaced by a slightly larger Optical Network Terminal (ONT). The ONT converts the fiber signal to voice, CATV and internet. This unit will also require the mounting of a back-up power supply if you take phone service. The ONT requires electricity. Since fiber cannot carry an electric power charge like copper used to, a battery backup is required to power your phone service in the event of a general power outage. This battery is designed to last for 8 or more hours, depending on phone usage. You may extend your backup power by purchasing a 24-hour battery backup option. Please contact one of our Customer Service Representatives if you would like to learn more about our 24 hour battery backup options.
We begin by placing the main line fiber optic cables to each neighborhood followed by placing fiber or conduit to your home. We will be installing an ONT near the time that you will be converted to fiber optic services. When everything is in place, we will need to schedule an appointment with you for installation.
Our goal is to switch our customers over with minimal inconvenience. After the main line construction is finished and you’ve completed the sign-up process, our technicians will complete the connection of your home. At this time, the technicians will not disconnect or remove your current service feed or any inside wiring. Once all of this is complete, a South Slope Representative will contact you to confirm your service selections and coordinate a date for your conversion. Typically, on the day of installation, a residential customer will be without service for five to ten minutes while the actual cut-over takes place.
All South Slope customers within our fiber build areas will eventually move to the new fiber network. Due to the high costs of maintaining two networks, we will be shutting down our copper network in the future. You will receive faster internet options, crystal clear phone connections, and digital video services all on our secure fiber optic network.
Construction
As construction is happening, work may become disruptive. We understand that noise and constant construction are less than optimal, but South Slope will attempt to minimize any disruption that construction causes to residents and the community.
A fiber drop connects a single fiber cable to fiber cables from South Slope’s network, and then to the optical network terminal (ONT) on the side of your home.
Splicing is the process of joining two fiber optic cables together. Splicing consist of four basic steps:
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- Stripping the fiber – Removal of the protective polymer coating around optical fiber. The splicing process starts by preparing both ends, and making sure that all of the protective coating is removed or stripped from the ends of every fiber.
- Cleaning the fiber – We clean the fibers to ensure we get a good fusion between the pieces of glass.
- Splicing the fiber – We use a fusion splicing machine to align the two fiber ends. The glass ends are fused together using heat. This produces a continuous connection between the fibers.
- Testing the fiber to make sure everything is connected correctly.