Construction

Bringing the area's fastest and most reliable internet to your home involves a series of well-planned steps.

Step-by-step from start to finish.

Engineering, easements, and permits

We start by laying out the network on paper, taking into account easements and rights-of-way for your neighborhood. Then we work with the city to acquire the right permits and their guidance on how they want the work done.

Door hangers

Gateway Fiber does not directly employ any construction crews. Instead, we work with experienced contractors who specialize in the work required to ensure the fiber optic infrastructure is installed correctly and safely. Before they lay drill a single hole or a single fiber, they place door hangers around the neighborhood with the start date and contact information if you have questions or need to reach them so you can know exactly what is happening throughout the process.

Digging/boring begins

We install our fiber network either by burying the fiber or hanging it on utility poles. In most cases, our fiber is buried. Before the contractor starts digging, they call Missouri OneCall so utilities can be marked. Next, they bore a small tunnel in the ground, lay protective conduit inside the tunnel, and run the fiber through the conduit.

Pedestals and handholes

Along the way, they install pedestals and handholes that serve as both splice points for taking the fibers to individual homes and access points for technicians if they need to repair or replace anything in the future. The city typically determines where to place these access points as part of the permit.

Installation

Now it’s time to connect your home. Our technicians will work with you to find the best path from the pedestal or handhole across your yard and into your home, watching out for sprinklers, dog fences, and other obstacles. Then a single protected fiber is buried 12-24 inches deep all the way to the side of your home, connected to our Network Interface Device, and finally run through the wall and inside, where we connect it to your modem/router. The technician will walk you through setting up your passwords and how to use your Wi-Fi, too, and will not leave until you are fully up and running and ready to use your new internet service.

Land restoration

The final step is to make sure your lawn still looks good. Our goal is to be as minimally invasive as possible, so we strive to make it look like we were never there. We only work with contractors who abide by our desire to restore your property to its original condition. If your property is not restored right, please get in touch with us immediately and we will work to rectify the situation.

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