Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Technology Today Column.

By Lisa Gill, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Apr. 3--Working at a pace that has surprised telecom hotel operators, the Bloomington telecommunications facility at the corner of Seventh and Walnut streets, is set to open for business by the end of April.

Joe Sharkey of Indiana Fiber Works, the Indianapolis-based company that will operate the facility, says he is "startled" at how quickly progress has been made.

Sharkey says the company has signed up a second tenant in addition to the city of Bloomington.

The new tenant, Indiana Fiber Networks, is made up of 11 independent telephone operators throughout Indiana. It will place computer equipment at the telecom hotel. The new tenant aims to reduce its long distance telephone costs by running calls over a fiber optic network, as opposed to …