DCN and Partners Launch $700 Million Heartland Fiber Project Across Upper Midwest

DCN, Range, and WIN Technology announced in a press release a joint $700 million investment to expand fiber infrastructure across the Upper Midwest. The initiative, called the Heartland Fiber Project, will create a new long haul route connecting Denver and Chicago to support growing data demands from AI hyperscale data centers.

The project will span seven states including Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. It will add 2,000 miles of high fiber count infrastructure with conduit space for future capacity expansion. The network is designed to increase resiliency and performance for organizations in sectors such as healthcare, education, government, finance, manufacturing, and wireless services.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with deployment taking one to two years. The three companies will coordinate activation as sections of the route are completed. The expanded network aims to deliver faster data transfer, lower latency, and improved reliability to meet the requirements of AI and hyperscale computing operations.