FastTrack completes network upgrade, expansion into Denver

Kelly Hebbard promoted to General Manager of the regional fiber transport company

 

DURANGO, Colo. – In spite of challenging economic times, FastTrack Communications is literally on the fast track. With a new general manager – Kelly Hebbard – and a more than $3 million system-wide upgrade, the data transport company has firmly established its position as a leader in fiber communications, providing high-speed broadband capabilities to businesses throughout the region.

            “We are very pleased to announce our network upgrade, as well as our enhanced internet protocol network and new broadband connectivity to Denver,” said Hebbard. “All this brings reliability and redundancy to the system, and it will allow us to grow. This is a tremendous boon to our existing customers and communities.”

            FastTrack’s network upgrade was driven by customer demand. Businesses as well as individuals throughout the region are requiring increased bandwidth to transport not only traditional documents, but imagery, streaming video – increasingly larger files. As an analogy, as internet users try to send “more” or push large files into the delivery pipe, the pipe becomes clogged. FastTrack now has a much larger pipe.

            “We all need immediate data transport these days and our customers are asking for more and more bandwidth,” said Hebbard. “FastTrack’s upgrade has improved our transport capacity 40 times more than our initial network. And we have the ability to expand to 80 times our original size.”

            FastTrack is now capable of supporting 400 Gbps (gigabits per second) of bandwidth, as well as customer circuit requests of up to 10 Gbps. The migration to the new infrastructure is complete and tested, and the network is in full operation.

            “It’s opened up everything – as if the broadband network in the region could breathe again,” said Hebbard, noting that FastTrack offers communities in Western Colorado and Northern New Mexico, including Durango, Cortez and Farmington  fast, reliable broadband from Albuquerque, N.M. to Grand Junction and Denver, Colo. “This incredibly strong backbone and our collocation in Denver will enhance communications for businesses needing connectivity to our state capitol, plus it allows us the opportunity to work with other carriers who may need services through our network footprint.”

            The network upgrade also allows FastTrack to offer broadband services to more isolated areas previously unable to access fiber for their internet connectivity, including smaller Western Slope towns such as Montrose and Nucla, Colo. Similar access for small communities is available between Farmington and Albuquerque, N.M.

            As an additional part of the upgrade, FastTrack enhanced its internet protocol network, automating the system so, among many improvements, the company will know when a circuit might be reaching capacity, or alert it to a fault (and the solution) before a customer is even aware of an issue.

            “The geographic diverse server cluster and centralized management solution will ensure better response times to customer queries, simplify network management, and improve overall repair time,” said John Monday, FastTrack director of IP and voice services. “From a customer perspective, we can be proactive.”

            The new system also offers a web-based application for customers, allowing them to view their individual account(s) and monitor their bandwidth usage.

            Currently, FastTrack is handling the expansive network with seven full-time employees, supported by their Network Operations Center based in Salt Lake City. Plans are for the company to add two to three additional employees in 2011, according to Hebbard.

            “FastTrack is creating well-paying jobs in our community,” said Joe Wheeling, FastTrack board chairman. “This is the type of clean industry that provides solid economic development, plus the company is set to grow. I think ultimately FastTrack will join the ranks of the region’s home-grown success stories.”

            New General Manager Kelly Hebbard, who entered the telecommunication industry in 1999, has been with FastTrack since its inception. Originally from the Chicago area where she studied business management and law, Hebbard had been handling project management for Oakridge National Labs in Grand Junction when the opportunity to join the fledgling telecom organization emerged.

            “For this company, Kelly is the continuity,” said Wheeling. “She not only has been at the forefront as the broadband industry, with all its challenges, has emerged and begun to mature in our region, she has integrity plus a commitment to community. It’s great to have her managing the company going forward.”

“FastTrack is a dynamic company capitalizing on emerging communication technologies for the betterment of our businesses and communities,” said Hebbard. “I always knew we would emerge as a very strong organization. It’s a win-win for businesses throughout our region, and there will be more to come.”

Headquartered in the Durango Tech Center, FastTrack is a regional fiber transport company offering internet access, point to point data solutions and voice services to commercial businesses including Internet Service Providers. For further information, visit www.fasttrackcomm.net.