Ritter spending $6.3 million to expand in Fort Smith

Jonesboro-based Ritter Communications is in the process of spending $6.3 million to bring its “RightFiber” fiber optic internet infrastructure to certain neighborhoods in Fort Smith.

RightFiber is the company’s fiber-to-the-home service that provides “multi-gig speeds and future-proof connectivity,” according to Ritter.

The company entered the Fort Smith metro in 2021 with a $12 million project to bring up to 100 Gig speeds to businesses in Alma, Fort Smith and Ozark. That project ended in 2022 with a rollout in Van Buren.

“Ritter Communications has proudly served the Fort Smith business community for over two years, providing fiber broadband, telecom, video, and data center services to meet the growing needs of businesses,” Ritter Communications CEO Heath Simpson said in a statement.“This RightFiber expansion deepens our commitment to Fort Smith, connecting residential neighborhoods with advanced fiber internet with speeds up to 5 Gig.”

The company said people in the new areas will be notified by door tags, mail, yard signs and door-to-door contact when the service is available.

“This investment by Ritter Communications provides our residents with another great broadband internet option that delivers the speed and connectivity necessary to function in today’s technology-driven society,” said Fort Smith Mayor George McGill. “Broadband services like RightFiber can benefit community members of all ages by increasing access to needed services and information. It’s exciting to see this expansion in Fort Smith.”

The $6.3 million expansion may not be the last in the area.

“Ritter will continue to explore opportunities for expansion in the River Valley area,” the company responded when asked about future plans in the Fort Smith metro. “As part of our ‘Right by You’ pledge, we’re always looking at the future to anticipate what our customers will need to remain connected to the services they need to work and live in our ever-increasing digital world.”

Ritter is a privately-held telecommunications company and provides broadband fiber, telecom, video, cloud and data center services. The company operates in 155 communities and has more than 57,000 customers in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.