On August 26, the Irvine Chamber of Commerce held a groundbreaking event for the expansion of fiber-optic internet at Heritage Community Park. Since February, after approval by the Irvine City Council, the fiber-to-the-home developer and internet service provider Cityside has been constructing in District 3.
Compared to copper cables from over forty years ago, fiber optic cables can transmit data faster, more reliably, and with greater capacity. The symmetrical upload and download speeds allow users to engage in high-quality video calls, stream shows, play games, and watch videos simultaneously.
In February of this year, Irvine Vice Mayor and District 3 City Councilor James Mai included broadbandization of Irvine in the city’s agenda. “Expanding internet access keeps Irvine competitive in the digital world and provides residents and businesses with more options,” he said. Mai always considers the technology and modernization of city infrastructure as a top priority. Different providers may offer various products and service packages, Mai explained, and Cityside’s willingness to invest in building fiber optic networks is a better choice compared to companies like Google Fiber, which may not enter older areas of Irvine with higher installation costs using copper cables.
Council Member Melinda Liu of District 1 stated, “This is an excellent opportunity to provide residents with high-speed internet so that everyone can access education, job opportunities, and stay connected with family from afar.” “I am pleased to vote in favor of the motion proposed by the Vice Mayor. Building high-speed internet was also a priority during my campaign last year to make Irvine a smart city.”
Cityside’s Co-founder and CEO, Rod Hanson, mentioned that the company was established in March 2021 and headquartered in Irvine. They started laying fiber optic cables in Tustin in 2023 and have just begun construction in Irvine, covering approximately 15,000 households in the initial phase. They can also provide services to private roads, properties managed by homeowners associations (HOAs), and individuals in need, potentially serving around 50,000 households in Irvine.
“How do we lay fiber optic cables?” Hanson explained that they use a micro-trenching technique, similar to cutting a two-inch-wide trench on the street with a large saw, reaching depths of up to 16 inches. The fiber optic cables are then laid, covered with a cement mixture, and finally topped with asphalt. The cables need to be laid throughout the area, on each street where residents live, while avoiding areas where Google or AT&T have already built infrastructure.
Cityside is currently laying cables in Dana Point, Lake Forest, and Mission Viejo in Orange County. Hanson clarified that not all areas in the city are covered, as some locations already have fiber optic cables installed, such as apartment buildings leased by Irvine Company using Google Fiber networks a few years ago. They strive to align with the city’s street repair plans and avoid cutting into newly paved roads.
Underground pipelines can be located using detectors and reference laying maps. Cityside’s VP of Operations, Strider Denison, mentioned they mark the locations on the road with colored lines, where white indicates the areas needing cable installation, while yellow denotes gas lines, blue for water pipelines, and green for power lines, typically four feet deep. This ensures that construction does not interfere with existing infrastructure.
It usually takes one to two days to complete laying fiber optic cables, followed by an additional one to two days for filling and asphalt pouring. Workers with several years of experience stated they have worked in several cities, mainly directing traffic while most of the laying work is done by driving.
Many areas in Irvine currently use COX company’s network. “COX laid copper cable networks thirty years ago or earlier, initially for transmitting TV signals, which then expanded to include internet signals,” Hanson explained. “They are now upgrading internet speed, but fiber optic cables provide a faster, better, and more durable solution for internet connectivity. Our system is faster and can handle any task, as most people are now transitioning to streaming videos instead of traditional cable TV.”
Cityside offers three packages: 1G, 2G, and 5G, priced at $80, $95, and $195 per month, respectively. “1G refers to gigabits per second, ensuring a constant speed for both upload and download data. The upload speed, however, is limited by design.” Hanson noted that while COX also offers a 1G product, the speed fluctuates, sometimes as low as 15 megabits, leading to buffering issues. Cityside’s basic 1G package includes all installation fees, making it cheaper than limited cable TV networks. However, residents still have the option to choose their existing internet providers and services.