According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in Iowa is 33.2 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 11.3 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Iowa was 3.12 million. Over 85% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in Iowa are as follows:

– Cable – 90% coverage
– DSL – 81% coverage
– Fiber – less than 19% coverage

Main Internet Service Providers established in Iowa are the following:

– Mediacom (Cable) – 95% availability
– CenturyLink (DSL) – 85% availability
– Nexgen Communications (Fiber) – less than 20% availability

Gigabit Internet in Iowa

Gigabit Internet services are scarcely available in Iowa, as reflected by the very low penetration percentage of only 8.5%. This service is usually provided to businesses exclusively, but in some select areas such as the more developed Iowa cities, residential customers may also access gigabit Internet. However, prices usually exceed $100 per month due to the nature of the service.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 10 colocation datacenters located in Iowa. Most datacenters are established in Des Moines (4), followed by other smaller cities, such as Monticello, Lake Park, Cedar Falls, as well as Cedar Rapids.

In Des Moines, important colocation providers include the following:

– LightEdge Solutions
– InfoBunker
– Aureon Datacenter
– OneNeck IT Solutions

Prominent Colocation Providers – LightEdge Solutions

One of the largest colocation providers established in Iowa is LightEdge Solutions. This company operates a state-of-the-art colocation facility located in central Iowa, near the junction of Interstate 80 and Interstate 35. The datacenter enables rental of suites, cages, footprints, racks, as well as hosting of individual servers. Carrier neutrality is ensured by means of access to key telecoms and other carrier hotels located in close proximity.

Prominent Colocation Providers – InfoBunker

Another important colocation provider established in Iowa is InfoBunker. This provider operates an ultra-secure colocation facility that is based in a former command bunker formerly operated by the US government. The facility is located less than an hour away from the Des Moines metro area. The facility offers connectivity within the facility in the form of gigabit copper and fiber below the floor to the rack. Additionally, the datacenter is carrier neutral, with on-site access to many key telecoms and major carrier hotels, including but not limited to: Cogent, Qwest, Paetech, as well as ICN. Connectivity is ensured by means of 192 strands of fiber that enter the facility, in addition to a separate fiber route that is owned by this company.

Colocation Industry in Iowa

As with most mid-western states as of late, Iowa has become quite an impressive colocation market, thanks to massive investments made by some of the largest national colocation players, such as LightEdge Solutions and OneNeck IT Solutions. Iowa is preferred over the other markets due to its centralized position, which enables great connectivity between facilities located on the coast. Additionally, the state’s vast unoccupied lands come pretty cheap, according to various sources, which means that there is a lot of potential for companies to build in the region. Facebook and Google have also managed to obtain permits in order to take advantage of this. Facebook in particular has recently laid hands on an $18 million state tax credit, and another deal with the state which allows them to not pay property tax on the facility for the next 20 years.

Advantages for Colocation

To summarize, advantages for colocation include the following:

– vast lands which come pretty cheap
– many datacenter tax breaks which boost further investments
– the presence of key colocation providers, which means that provided services conform to the highest standards
– low natural disaster risk
– great round-the-year weather

Disadvantages for Colocation

In spite of the significant and remarkable growth, Iowa is still surrounded by more developed colocation markets, such as Illinois and Chicago in particular – which means that customers may still primarily opt for these markets. However, that is not to say that the local colocation market will not continue to grow.