{"id":225579,"date":"2016-04-15T06:06:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T20:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=225579"},"modified":"2016-04-15T06:06:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-14T20:06:00","slug":"fiesta-1st-connected-ite-underground-fiber-optic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/fiesta-1st-connected-ite-underground-fiber-optic\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiesta 1st to be connected to IT&E underground fiber optic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tan<\/a>
Tan Holdings and IT&E executives hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting recognizing Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan as the first commercial establishment in Saipan to be connected to IT&E\u2019s new underground fiber optic cable. (Frauleine Villanueva-Dizon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan has become the first hotel on island to have a taste of IT&E\u2019s faster connection using the underground fiber optic cable that they are currently installing around the island.<\/p>\n

Tan Holdings and IT&E executives marked the significant event in a ceremonial ribbon cutting yesterday.<\/p>\n

A commemorative plaque was also presented to Tan Holdings president Jerry Tan for Fiesta Resort being \u201cthe first commercial user of fiber optic technology in the CNMI.\u201d <\/p>\n

With the introduction of this technology, higher speed Internet can be experienced by patrons of the hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very happy we\u2019re the first one on Saipan,\u201d Fiesta Resort general manager Abner Acosta said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose Fiesta because they were ready first. They\u2019ve been a good customer of ours for a very long time,\u201d IT&E chief operating officer John Compton said, \u201cIt happened rather naturally actually, they needed it and about the time that we were finishing our work going by the hotel, it was relatively easy for us to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were very agreeable, very cooperative because there are some work that we have to do inside the hotel to connect everything together,\u201d Compton said.<\/p>\n

10 times faster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Compton said, compared to the copper DSL that they currently have which has a physical limit of 10 megabytes per second, the fiber optic cable lines can handle up to 1 gigabyte per second or 1,000 mbps.<\/p>\n

Acosta described their updated connection as \u201c10 times faster than the regular digital subscriber line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had it for four days and you can really see the difference,\u201d Acosta said, \u201cI\u2019m sure our guests are very happy with this development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acosta said many of the tourists on Saipan are disappointed with the kind of connection speed that we have on island.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has come up with our surveys with guests, one of the disappointments\u2014not only here but around Saipan\u2014is slow Internet,\u201d Acosta said. <\/p>\n

For Tan, having this technology is not only an upgrade that is beneficial to Fiesta Resort but to the whole CNMI as a destination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main reason is really for the experience of our guests,\u201d Tan said. \u201cTheir home country and everywhere they go, in other destinations, high-speed Internet is a must.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they expect because high-speed Internet is what they get,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Tan said it is important not to disappoint tourists and continue the same speed that they enjoy back home. He also noted that communication is a big part of traveling nowadays.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really about us as a destination. Eventually in other hotels, restaurants, everywhere tourists will enjoy the same high-speed experience that they experience everyday in their lives so we can make sure that they really are happy tourists when they come here,\u201d Tan said.<\/p>\n

Connecting everyone<\/strong><\/p>\n

This project being undertaken by IT&E is expected to spread out through the entire island as well as to Tinian and Rota within a five-year timeline. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are building an island- wide fiber optic cable network that will eventually replace our copper network,\u201d Compton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEventually this is going to cover the whole island and Tinian and Rota as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

IT&E currently has three crews working seven days a week on various locations on Saipan to install the fiber optic cables.<\/p>\n

According to Compton, it will take them \u201cno more than two weeks\u201d to connect another establishment to their fiber optic. <\/p>\n

Compton added that not only commercial establishments will get to enjoy the high-speed connectivity of their cable but residents as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will eventually, we don\u2019t have the equipment for residences yet, its coming, but yes it will absolutely improve the residences,\u201d Compton said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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