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Giving 6,000 people simultaneous high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi services recently became a reality at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Mountain West Technologies upgraded the event complex with fiberoptic internet infrastructure that will now allow free high-speed Wi-Fi to all visitors and significantly enhance connections for administrative staff at the center.
Mountain West Marketing Director Matt Kadlick said the project started in May with the fiberoptic internet construction and the Wi-Fi equipment installation which was completed at the beginning of August.
“Guests will all be able to video stream or scroll through their favorite social media with ease, it’s going to be very high-speed internet,” Kadlick said. “You’ll be able to watch movies on your tablet if you want.”
In addition to the technology, the company also is sponsoring the north entrance to the Wyoming Ford Center and renaming it the Speedgoat Internet Entrance. Which will include a new Fast Lane door for guests. Speedgoat is the name of Mountain West Technologies internet platform.
Ford Wyoming Center Kirk Goodman said the Fast Lane entrances will allow those without bags to walk straight through. The lanes will improve access and convenience for guests.
(Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Speedgoat entrance: The Ford Wyoming Center now has a Speedgoat entrance for people without bags to quickly enter the facility. (Courtesy Photo) 
For Ford Wyoming Center visitors without bags, the Speedgoat Fast Lane will enhance their experience getting into the facility. (Courtesy Photo) 
The new Speedgoat Fast Lane requires visitors to remove all metal from pockets and hold it in their hands. (Courtesy Photo)
‘White Paper’ Project
Mountain West Technologies President Kyle Ridgeway said the Wi-Fi project involved a “white paper” research agreement with the Wi-Fi equipment manufacturer to prove the concept. He said a test of speed on his phone showed capability for 300 megabits with basically zero latency.
“For those of you who don’t know what that means, you can set up an X-Box in there and it would probably perform better than at your house,” he said. “We are really excited. We have a white paper with the manufacturer who worked with us to design this facility. So this is a state-of-the-art facility in the United States to have this technology.”
Ridgeway said while Wi-Fi in a home is relatively straightforward, with a router and a couple of access points, the stadium setting is much more complex. It requires establishing the number of access points needed when the facility is full and visitor demands are at a peak.
As a Casper-based company, Ridgeway said Mountain West is also available to service the technology when problems arise.
“If there is a problem, the city or the event center can call us and we will roll a Speedgoat truck up here in less than 5 minutes to help out,” he said.
The Ford Wyoming Center sits on the north side of Casper next to the Wyo Sports Ranch that is under construction and currently on track to open after the first of the year. More development is hoped for in the future and Mountain West Technologies is poised to help.
“There are some really exciting things happening with development specifically on this side of town, particularly the Wyo Sports Ranch and a number of other development opportunities that are coming up,” Ridgeway said. “We are happy to be the first ones to have fiber in this area and we look forward to the development of this community to bring more people in here.”
Mountain West Technologies was selected by the City of Casper through an RFP process to provide the internet and Wi-Fi services to the Ford Wyoming Center.
Mountain West Technologies was created 20 years ago as a means to connect Wyoming residents with each other and the rest of the world. It is now part of 307 First, which focuses on keeping Wyoming companies and services within the state.
Mountain West serves 18 communities with more than 100 towers and hundreds of miles of fiber. The company has more than 8,000 customers in Wheatland, Casper, Cheyenne, Mills, Bar Nunn, and other communities.
