Southern Telecom, a subsidiary of Southern Company, and Seimitsu have launched SouthernWaves, a strategic alliance poised to deliver fiber network services to Southeast service providers and business customers.

The Southern Waves venture marks a new service era for Southern Telecom. Up till now, Southern Telecom has focused on providing dark fiber services, which require customers to manage their own network equipment. SouthernWaves is introducing lit services, with Seimitsu responsible for lighting and managing bandwidth on Southern Telecom's secure fiber routes, which are installed in highly secure conduits.

SouthernWaves will support the new lit services product set with 24/7 network monitoring at a Network Operations Center in Savannah. Officials of the new venture said the new framework helps to ensure security features and connectivity for customers, enhancing their ability to focus on core business operations without the complexities of network management.

Already, the SouthernWaves venture has gained an anchor tenant that sees fiber to enhance an area of the city that is going through a rebirth.

Through a collaboration with Georgia Power, SouthernWaves has secured an agreement to serve the South Downtown Atlanta project, an initiative aimed at revitalizing this historic neighborhood by converting 56 buildings, 10 continuous blocks, and one million square feet into a second location of Atlanta Tech Village.

Bentina Terry, president and CEO of Southern Telecom, said, “Fiber will play a pivotal role in revitalizing our historic neighborhoods and paving the way for future growth.”

For the South Downtown Atlanta project, Seimitsu is leading the technology infrastructure work, while Southern Telecom provides metro fiber infrastructure.

Georgia Power's involvement further strengthens the collaboration, delivering a technology solution that addresses the South Downtown developer's requirements, with technology serving as a key to enabling seamless support for commerce, innovation, and advanced services across South Downtown Atlanta.

The timing of SouthernWaves and the South Downtown Atlanta Project comes as the city prepares to support the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

"The partnership with SouthernWaves powers it all! SouthernWaves has brought creative thinking, quick action, and speedy implementation to a very large and complicated geography,” Jon Birdsong, CEO at SoDo Atlanta, and one of the founding visionaries behind the South Downtown Atlanta project. “Their experience has transformed how we do business and how we're preparing for the World Cup and beyond!"

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