GigSouth leases dark fiber from Southern Telecom for rural broadband network expansion
Southern Telecom, Inc. (STI), a subsidiary of Southern Co., says it will lease dark fiber to GigSouth, a full service, carrier-neutral fiber provider and engineering consultant for rural broadband development efforts. GigSouth will use the dark fiber to expand its fiber-optic network footprint within rural areas in the Southeast U.S.
GigSouth uses both fiber and wireless infrastructure to create open networks that help service providers reach rural and urban customers. “GigSouth is changing the game, flipping the market on its head, jumping a couple generations of service offerings, lowering pricing so that big data is affordable and providing our customers with white glove support while doing it,” explains Kevin Paulk, CTO of GigSouth. “STI’s metro dark fiber service supports our mission and then some. With STI, we basically have an unlimited amount of bandwidth potential, which allows us to lower pricing on our existing gigabit internet offering and offer connectivity that is beyond gigabit to residential and commercial customers. We reached 10 Gbps two years ago and are proud to announce our new 100-Gbps offering, to be launched by the end of the year. STI’s fiber is allowing us to make this huge jump, which guarantees we will be ready for the next surge in data demands.”
Southern Telecom markets or owns more than 2,600 route miles in the southeast, featuring a conduit and dark fiber metro network throughout Atlanta (see, for example, "Southern Telecom completes fiber backbone for Georgia State University"). “The majority of consumers in rural areas typically only have one choice when it comes to internet access, and this lack of competition often results in higher pricing, subpar support, and slow service,” added Michael Lamar, carrier account manager for STI. “STI is honored to provide our dark fiber services and fiber-optic network to GigSouth as the company works hard to change this dynamic, grow its network, and stay ahead of the curve and demand for high-speed, reliable bandwidth in underserved rural communities.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.
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