Frequently Asked Questions

Yellowstone Fiber (formerly Bozeman Fiber) is a non-profit fiber provider for Gallatin County. We started as a non-profit back in 2015 to service the school district, city and county buildings of Bozeman, MT. In 2017 we became commercially operational and began operating as an open access network to increase competition, and to allow customers to select the best service for their business at the best available price. Although we are starting in Boseman, MT our intent is to offer High-Speed fiber internet services to the entirety of Gallatin county. 

You can sign up by going to our sign up page! 

Fiber internet uses fiber optic wires which are hair-thin, flexible strands of glass that light beams can travel through. These fiber optic wires function as a waveguide to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. This means that fiber internet can handle basically an infinite amount of speed!

Residential symmetrical speeds will start at 250 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps.  

Business speeds vary and can go up to 100 Gbps if needed.

The monthly cost will start at around $65 for 250 Mbps. around $80 for 1 Gbps, and around $200 for 10 Gbps.

For information on business pricing please contact us at support@yellowstonefiber.com.

Connection times will be dependent on demand. Once an area is “lit up” meaning the fiber is active, we hope to have people connected within two weeks.

The buildout project will take up to three years to complete. You can check out the areas that are currently available for connection on our Build Out Timelines page. 

To check if you home is available for connection visit our Build Out Timelines page. 

Yes! We operate on an open access network with 3 different ISPs to choose from.

We currently have 4 ISPs to choose from:

• Global Net
• Sumo Fiber
• Xiphos
• XMission

If you want Wi-Fi running throughout your home, you will need a wireless router. Yellowstone Fiber does not provide routers so you will need to provide your own. For best results and to maximize your bandwidth, we recommend routers from Netgear and Linksys. For a list of specific recommended routers, click here. Be sure to purchase a router capable of handling at least 1 Gbps of speed.

Nope!

We will be servicing out Bozeman and select portions of Gallatin County in our initial rollout with our ultimate goal is to service the entire county! You can find maps of current and future service areas on our Buildout Timelines page.

Absolutely! If your HOA is interested in Yellowstone Fiber they can reach out to us through email at support@yellowstonefiber.com with their request. If your neighborhood is not in our current build-out footprint, your HOA can certainly reach out to talk to us about financing an extension into your area.

The actual installation will typically follow your electric service-either via aerial approach or if buried, we will come through your yard with ¾” conduit to near or at the entry point of your electrical service. Learn more about our installation process here.

Some areas are available for sign up now!  You can check to see if your address is available for connection by visiting our Sign Up page or by checking out our Build Out Timelines page.

There are so many benefits but here are a couple of our favorites:

Speeds are only limited by current technology. You can actually get over 100 Gig to a home at this time. In the future, that number will continue to increase as technology improves laser and router technology.

The internet operates on laser light pulses which are nearly impossible to intercept without the provider being able to identify the penetration of the line and its location of the penetration allowing for increased security compared to copper or cable based systems.

Fiber is not interrupted by weather. If you have a battery backup for your system in your home, you will not lose service when the power goes out.  Our system has back up batteries and generators which will ensure signal comes to your home-with your battery backup then ensuring your ability to continue to receive internet services.

Your mainline service will be on a redundant loop. Individual streets may not be on a loop.  If a fiber cut occurs on a mainline, we will reroute within a short period of time maintaining your service, keeping your home operational.  If the fiber is cut on a side street, we will be onsite and should have service restored in a matter of hours.  In isolated cases, it could be out for up to 24 hours.

Sunspots, snow, rain, hail and lightning will not affect your service.

Fiber is future-proof. The fiber itself can carry immense amounts of data, and is only restricted by the laser technology creating the signals. This technology continues to improve as lasers are refined.

Costs have been stable for years and outside of inflation should remain stable for years to come.

Our company’s goal is not based on profit, but on bringing world class service to as many people as we can.  Extra money earned will go to the expansion of our network and pay off current debt, allowing us to secure future funding for expansion.