ImOn starts $100 million fiber internet build in Duluth
ImOn has started a $100 million fiber build in Duluth, with first service west of UMD and 51,000 addresses targeted over 2026 and 2027.
ImOn Communications has broken ground on a $100 million fiber internet network in Duluth, a buildout that could eventually reach 51,000 addresses and sharpen competition for households and businesses across the city. The first work is underway just west of the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the company expects customer installations to begin in mid-to-late July as more sections open.
The project is designed as a street-by-street utility build, using both underground and aerial fiber, including existing utility poles. Residents are supposed to get advance notice by mail and door hangers before crews start on their block, a sign that the work will be visible well beyond the first neighborhoods. Each construction section is expected to take about six to eight weeks, weather permitting, and the company says work will pause when the ground freezes and resume in spring 2027.
For Duluth households, the draw is not just faster downloads. ImOn says homes will be able to receive symmetrical speeds up to 5 gigabits per second, while businesses will be able to reach up to 10 gigabits, along with fiber-based phone service. That kind of capacity matters for remote work, school, telehealth and cloud backups, but it also changes the local market. A new fiber competitor can pressure incumbents to respond on price, upload speeds and reliability, especially in neighborhoods where residents have long been stuck comparing cable, DSL, fixed wireless or satellite options that can vary sharply from one address to the next.
The company said it worked with City of Duluth officials during planning and network design, and it has framed the Duluth-Superior expansion as its first fiber network in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Superior is next in line pending permits, extending the build across the border into another market where internet choice has also been uneven by neighborhood and block.
The scale of the investment stands out against Minnesota’s broadband target of 100 megabits per second down and 20 up by 2026. Duluth already has multiple internet providers, but availability still depends on the exact address, which is why residents should check whether their street is in one of the early sections before deciding whether to wait or switch. With construction expected to continue through 2026 and completion targeted for fall 2027, the next two years will determine how quickly this new network changes the city’s internet landscape.
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