NORTHAMPTON — Construction is underway to install new fiber internet cables across the city, in what officials hope will bring options for faster and more reliable service to businesses and residents.

Groundbreaking for the multimillion dollar project, led by internet provider Gateway Fiber, began in September and fiber-optic internet is expected to begin providing service to select areas by early next year, according to Sarah Lang, general manager for Gateway Fiber’s Massachusetts operations.

“We’ve actually just started putting up the fiber this past week,” Lang said. “Our goal is to provide services to as big an area with as many residents and businesses as we can.”

The origins for the new fiber-optic system lie in the results of a two-year study conducted by the city of Northampton, the results of which were published last year. The study included a survey of nearly 3,000 residents, finding that 87% of respondents said they were interested in a faster and more reliable internet, and 67% indicating that availability of broadband internet is affecting where they choose to live.

“The COVID-19 crisis has made it clear that affordable high performance Internet access is not a luxury but a necessity,” the study said. “The ability to work from home productively has become a critical economic development issue. Corporate employees working from home require high bandwidth services to be connected to the office network and to use corporate videoconferencing systems.”

Unlike the internet provided through cable connections, which uses the same coaxial cables used for TV transmissions via electrical signals, fiber-optic internet uses glass fibers to transmit data by converting it to light. The end result is generally a faster, more reliable system, but can also be more expensive then cable services.

For Gateway Fiber, the project also marks the first foray into Massachusetts for the company, which is based in Missouri and also has operations in Minnesota.

Lang did not disclose the exact cost of the project, but said for the company it represented an investment in the “tens of millions” of dollars. She also said that unlike in other parts of the country, where fiber cables are placed underground, fiber in Northampton must be installed on existing telephone wires due to prevalence of bedrock underneath the surface, requiring additional costs for working with utility companies. Workers could be seen putting the wires up around Fern Street in Florence on Wednesday.

“You have to start by working with utilities in what’s called a ‘make ready process,’ which is making room for a new provider or new attachment on the pole,” Long said. “That process starts with applications, and then you make payments and then they go out and do the make ready work and provide a space for you to attach to.”

Currently, Northampton residents can get internet services through T-Mobile, Xfinity and Verizon. Once available, Gateway Fiber’s pricing options will range between $65 a month for 300 megabits per second (mbps) to $150 a month for 2,000 (mbps), according to the company’s website. Those fees are slightly higher than Xfinity and T-Mobile, for example.

Lang said that the first customers will go live in early 2025, although they would only be in select parts of the city. As the build-out continues, more parts of the city will become available for service, Lang said.

“It was really clear that there is a big demand for fiber service by the residents and businesses in Northampton,” Lang said. “When we are looking to go into a community, we look to go places fiber networks don’t already exist, and we’re really excited to be able to bring that choice.”

A similar project is also underway in neighboring Easthampton, with a fiber-optic system being set up by internet company GoNetSpeed. Gateway Fiber also plans to offer its fiber services in Pittsfield and Gardner in the coming months.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.