Internet speed: 15.2 Mbps downlink; 3 Mbps uplink

Population: 1.65 million

Internet coverage: 80% of residents

Main Internet services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: CableOne, CenturyLink

Colocation Datacenters: 7

Colocation Market: quasi-undeserved

According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in Idaho is 15.2 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 3 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Idaho was approximately 1.65 million. Over 80% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in Idaho are as follows:

– Cable – 90% coverage
– DSL – 80% coverage
– Fiber – less than 17% coverage

Main Internet Service Providers located in Idaho are the following:

– CableOne (Cable) – 90% availability
– CenturyLink (DSL) – 80% availability
– CenturyLink (Fiber) – less than 15% availability

Gigabit Internet in Idaho

Gigabit Internet services are moderately available in Idaho, as demonstrated by the penetration percentage of roughly 15%. In 2016, CableOne announced that they would start rolling out gigabit Internet services to Idahoan residents. However, their service is capped to a few gigabytes per month, and pricing exceeds $100 per month. Other ISPs have also shown interest in raising their Internet speeds, but no concrete plans have been released in this matter.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 7 colocation datacenters established in Idaho. Most datacenters are located in Boise (6), and the rest are located in Coeur D’Alene (1).

In Boise, prominent colocation providers include the following:

– DataSite
– Fiberpipe, Inc.
– SolutionPro, Inc.
– tw telecom

Prominent Colocation Providers – DataSite

One of the largest colocation providers located in Idaho is DataSite. This company operates a state-of-the-art facility that is located on approximately 5 acres of land, and features a square footage of approximately 60,000. The datacenter provides rental of office space, suites, cages, rack cabinets, as well as enclosures, in addition to other disaster recovery and business continuity solutions. Amenities include: dedicated infrastructure, multiple independent utility feeds, immediate proximity to high-voltage utility substations, N+1/2N UPS power equipment, N+1 diesel generators. Additionally, the facility is carrier neutral, having access to many telecoms and carrier hotels such as CableOne and CenturyLink.

Colocation Industry in Idaho

Idaho is not a thriving colocation market, as reflected by the very limited presence of major colocation providers and lack of investments in this sector in general. However, Idaho is a great choice for disaster recovery services thanks to the state’s location between Washington and Nevada, which are much more developed colocation markets, but also substantially more expensive.

Advantages for Colocation

Advantages for colocation include the following:

– one of the lowest electricity costs in the United States ($0.0867 cents per kWh, according to electricitylocal.com)
– lower risk of natural disasters than Washington, and Seattle in particular
– good round-the-year weather, but summers can get really hot

Disadvantages for Colocation

Disadvantages for colocation include the following:

– very low supply for colocation space due to absence of facilities
– rather underdeveloped technical infrastructure outside Boise
– Idaho’s economy relies mostly on agriculture, while the tech sector lacks substantial development