What to know about fiber in Tempe
Fiber providers choose where they build
Tempe's Fiber License lets providers use the public right of way. The city says providers select the locations for their installations as part of the permitting process, so business fiber availability varies by address. Before you plan around a provider's fiber, check your address with them.
Source: City of Tempe, Fiber License
Fiber work is scheduled around other street projects
Part of Tempe's permitting process includes scheduling fiber installation around other infrastructure work, such as street paving. City Council approved the fiber permit requirement and the Fiber License and Right-of-Way Use Agreement on June 27, 2024. More street cuts for fiber are likely as providers apply, which can affect parking and access outside your door.
Source: City of Tempe, Fiber License
Provider fiber speeds are advertised, not promised
Cox lists dedicated fiber internet in Tempe with symmetrical speeds up to 100 Gbps and shared business fiber up to 1 Gbps (its page is now branded Spectrum). Quantum Fiber lists business internet in Tempe in select locations only. Advertised speeds depend on the address and the plan, so ask each provider for what they can deliver to your suite.
Codes for the work inside
Tempe adopted the 2024 I-Codes and the 2023 NEC effective July 1, 2026. Fiber is a non-conductive signal medium, but it runs through ceilings, risers and rated walls, so cable type and firestopping follow the current codes. We confirm permit questions with the Permit Center at 480-350-4311.
Source: City of Tempe Building Safety
Two different things called fiber
Fiber internet is a service you buy from a provider. Fiber optic installation is the cable inside your property. We do the second. If your provider is bringing fiber to your building, we run it from their handoff to your rack and to the switches that need it. If you only need fast links between closets or buildings, we install those whether or not you have fiber internet.
When fiber beats copper
Copper Cat6 is good to 328 feet. Past that, or when you need 10 gigabit and faster, fiber is the answer. It also doesn't conduct electricity, so it is the safe link between buildings that sit on different electrical grounds, and it ignores electrical noise from kitchens, motors and lighting.
- Between floors, when the closets are far apart or a riser is crowded.
- Between buildings on a campus, a strip center or a shared lot.
- From a street handoff to your equipment room.
- To a recorder or server that needs more than gigabit.
- Anywhere you expect to move from 1 gigabit to 10 or more.
Single-mode and multimode
Single-mode fiber carries light over long distances and is the standard for new runs between buildings and for provider handoffs. Multimode fiber is used for shorter runs inside a building. We choose the type to match your switches and the distance, and match the transceivers at both ends of the link.
What a fiber job includes
- A survey of pathways, conduit, closets and any outdoor route.
- Cable pulled in conduit or tray, with protection where it passes through walls or floors.
- Termination or fusion splicing on both ends, with connectors or pigtails in a patch panel.
- Testing with a meter or OTDR, with the results given to you.
- Labels on both ends and a map of the route.
Planning around Tempe's street work
Because Tempe schedules fiber installs around paving and other street work, a provider's timeline can move. If you are moving into a space, ask the provider for a date before you set an opening date, and let us run the interior fiber and a temporary connection so you can open on time. When digging is part of the job, Arizona 811 must be called at least two full working days before, and hand tools only are allowed within two feet of marked lines.
Often paired with
Fiber usually goes in with structured data cabling inside the rooms it feeds, and with backup internet so a cut line doesn't take you offline. Our other Tempe work is at Enzo in Tempe.
