This is a temporary page for residents to show their interest in a town-owned network.
This is a temporary page for residents to show their interest in a town-owned network.
Check out this FAQ, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we’re here to talk. Get Help
Whip City Fiber is high-speed internet service delivered across a fiber optic network directly to your home or business. Our fiber optic technology provides upload and download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second—that's 1,000 Mbps. Our goal is to serve all of Westfield in 2025. Whip City Fiber is powered by Westfield Gas + Electric (WG+E).
Whip City Fiber is a data network which is constructed of optical fibers instead of copper wire or coaxial cable. Optical fiber is a hair-thin piece of glass that is specially designed to transmit pulses of light. One small fiber can carry multiple signals at once and the signal does not degrade over long distances. Unlike coaxial cable, performance is not affected by interference or shared bandwidth. The Whip City Fiber fiber optic network provides high-speed access that runs at the speed of light.
Each year the use of the internet for applications and services is increasing. As high-definition video, telemedicine, distance learning, telecommuting, and other applications continue to evolve, only fiber technology provides the bandwidth to carry the heavy data load we expect to see. As your local utility, we're excited to bring Westfield the cutting-edge access which can support the community in the future.
Starting over 20 years ago, Westfield Gas + Electric built and expanded a fiber network in Westfield for our internal communication needs. Up until 2015, it has been used to offer communication services to Westfield businesses and municipal departments. In the fall of 2015 we ran a successful pilot of Whip City Fiber to bring service to a pilot area of residential and commercial customers. With the support of a $1.5M bond from the city we built the network in 2 year.
Have you seen the internet? It has many amazing and wonderful resources and has created an ever-increasing demand for quality high-speed access. Fiber optic service can provide the bandwidth that growing business and personal internet use will require. With most of the infrastructure already in place, we’re using our resources to bring Whip City Fiber to additional customers in Westfield.
We are a community-owned company with a commitment to provide premium services to our customers and neighbors. Our gigabit service is the fastest in town and our local customer service is always on call. The revenues generated by Whip City Fiber are reinvested locally to benefit the entire community.
We are offering service at 1 gigabit per second which is up to 1,000 Mbps upload and download speed. It's the fastest internet you can get in Westfield and offers plenty of bandwidth to support a house-full of teens or a busy business. Actual speeds may vary due to a number of outside factors including the speed of your equipment, the websites you visit, and the software you're using. You will always get the best speeds when your computer or other device is using a hardwired connection.
Many customers are taking advantage of resources which require higher speeds and bandwidth, including streaming services (Netflix, YouTube TV, etc.) and Ultra High-definition television (UHD). Whip City Fiber provides the speed for you to use these services and other internet resources with out glitches or buffering.
Whip City Fiber is the fastest internet in Western Mass, hands down. One gigabit speed upload and download can’t be beat whether you’re checking email, working from home, or entertaining the family. Look at these comparisons to cable and DSL.
A Wi-Fi router is included with residential service to provide Whip City Fiber to tablets, phones, gaming systems, and other devices in your home. We also offer Wi-Fi service to our commercial customers who are interested.
Whip City Fiber provides gigabit internet service which offers amazing access to all streaming service providers. Many customers access local channels, TV shows, movies and sports with a subscription to one or more streaming services.
Most live streaming services offer local channels. To see what channels are available in your area visit your streaming service's website and enter your zip code to see the line up.
Another option for local stations is over the air with an HD digital antenna. Signal strength may vary depending on your home location. You can check your potential signal strength and channels by visiting www.antennaweb.org and putting in your address information. Antennas range in price from $10 to $150, depending upon what channels you hope to get and how far away the stations are. Antennas are available for purchase at department stores or online.
In many cases, you won't have to do anything. If you have Gmail or another "forever" email you'll continue to receive your email. If your email is through your previous internet service provider (ISP) you may be able to keep that too.
For example, Comcast has a policy in place that allows you to keep your email accounts even if you do not purchase their service. From their website: As a former Xfinity customer, you can still use your Xfinity Email address if you logged in to your account using the Xfinity Email website in the 90 days prior to disconnecting your service. Your email account will remain active if you access it using the Xfinity Email website at least once every nine months.
For additional information: Using Comcast Email if You've Disconnected Your Service. You may review the document below for additional information about switching or transferring email addresses.
