A Plainfield, Conn., builder of fiber networks is rolling out infrastructure for engineering, construction and logistics activities supporting a middle-mile network called Maine Online Optical Statewide Enabling Network, or MOOSE Net.
Earlier this year, Sertex Broadband Solutions opened a regional office at 14 Pond Road in the Kennebec County town of Sidney.
The project is now in the “make ready” phase, when existing utility infrastructure is prepared to safely support new fiber installation, a spokesperson told Mainebiz.
“This work, which involves coordination with utilities and state and local authorities, is a critical step in any broadband deployment and is expected to continue through the end of June,” she said. “This is a complicated process. Current projections have MOOSE Net make-ready continuing through the end of June. Sertex anticipates construction efforts beginning in earnest in July.”
Sertex recently received the first three of nine prefabricated colocation huts and the first reels of fiber optic cable to support construction of the network, marking a milestone in the construction of more than 450 miles of high-performance infrastructure across Maine, according to a news release.
Huts and cable
Each of the colocation huts is 12-by-20-by-10-foot, made with precast concrete and weighing some 63,000 pounds. The three units were transported from South Dakota on flatbed trucks to Central Maine Crane, which is based in the Franklin County town of Avon.
A crane offloaded each structure from the flatbed, placing the three side by side. All nine huts are scheduled be delivered this month, when installation will begin across the state.
The huts will be positioned on cast-in-place concrete frost wall foundations within 40-by-40-square-foot secure, fenced enclosures. They will house advanced telecommunications equipment supported by redundant power systems, diverse fiber entry points, dual HVAC units and continuous 24/7 network monitoring.
Sertex also received five reels of fiber optic cables for outdoor applications, made by Corning Inc., and is housing the reels in its Sidney warehouse. Make-ready work is anticipated to begin at the end of June, with strand and fiber construction following in July.
Sertex will be making an announcement later this month related to hiring and staffing, the spokesperson said.
Contract award
Established in 1999, Sertex’s specialties include middle-mile and last-mile networks.
Sertex was awarded the MOOSE Net design-build contract in 2025. Under the agreement, Sertex is responsible for constructing 450 miles of MOOSE Net’s 530-mile fiber backbone for some of Maine’s most rural and underserved communities.
The scope of work includes network design, engineering, permitting and construction of extended rural fiber spans across challenging terrain. Installation activities will include aerial and underground construction, fiber splicing and termination, and network testing. Construction is expected to span two years, with field crews operating across multiple regions of the state.
Fiber ‘highway’
The statewide border-to-border fiber “highway” dubbed MOOSE Net is among the strategies Maine Connectivity Authority is using to improve broadband access.
Established in 2021, Maine Connectivity Authority is the public agency charged with achieving universal access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet service statewide.
MOOSE Net is a middle-mile network made up of high-capacity fiber optic wires that carries large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances, enabling an array of other telecommunications infrastructure.
MOOSE Net’s construction is being facilitated by a $30 million federal grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Private and public partners in Maine include the Maine Department of Transportation.
The MOOSE Net route is mapped out, and communities will see field crews at work, with improved connectivity benefits expected to be available by 2027.
