Several rural electric cooperatives have selected ADTRAN (NASDAQ:ADTN) access solutions and FiberRise engineering services to deliver gigabit broadband to their member communities in Alabama and Tennessee.
The electric co-ops include Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC), Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative (MLEC), North Alabama Electric Cooperative (NAEC) and Tombigbee Electric Cooperative.
"We launched fiber broadband services as a means to improve the lives of those we serve, and we're realizing everyday how life-changing the impacts to our community will be in so many ways, including more ability to attract and retain businesses and improved educational opportunities," SVEC CEO and President Mike Partin said. "We expect our partners to have the same servant's heart for our members as we do, and both FiberRise and ADTRAN are delivering that for us."
FiberRise provides an implementation plan to support the vision of each of the providers, to ensure reach and service delivery to customers throughout the member communities. Using ADTRAN's Total Access 5000 Gigabit services architecture, the cooperatives are establishing long-term, multi-gigabit fiber access solutions built on an open, scalable architecture.
"We pride ourselves on meeting our members' needs through reliable and affordable access to the essential services to grow the community. By working with FiberRise and ADTRAN to enhance our network and deliver fiber broadband, we know we're taking one of the best steps we can for our members," said MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. "We're excited about what the future holds and look forward to all the new opportunities Gigabit service carries with it."
"We've been implementing fiber in our community for some time now, having realized long ago that the only way our members would get access to the highest quality broadband available is for us to deliver it - working with dependable partners like ADTRAN and FiberRise," said NAEC General Manger Bruce Purdy. "We know how key fiber broadband is to the economic development of our community. It's our aim to ensure affordable access to Gig service for our members that wish to have it."
"ADTRAN provided the ideal technology, while FiberRise brought the oversight and design we needed to develop and deploy our area's first gigabit service offering," said Tombigbee President and CEO Steve Foshee. "We'll be able to offer dependable, high-quality broadband at a level equal to any major city and afford our members access to a critical resource they would not otherwise have in our community."
"Together, these cooperatives are enabling a new future for over 100,000 lives across Alabama and Tennessee," said FiberRise CEO Tommy Harmon. "Our deployment of utility-grade fiber systems delivers the optimal foundation to support their communication needs so their networks will operate at the highest possible up time for everyone they serve. By partnering with ADTRAN, we can assure our customers of strong, stable networks that will serve as the foundation for a new wave of growth and opportunity."
"For electric cooperatives, the community always comes first, and these utility operators are proof that where there is a will, there is a way to extend the range and reach of broadband services within any community in a cost-effective way," said ADTRAN Vice President of Regional Service Provider Sales Brian Efimetz. "We see the utilities space as a growing opportunity for our solutions and services and look forward to continued work with FiberRise in this market."