Company asks cities and towns to join the race to be the first 1 GBPS Fiber to the Home community and help transform the region into the “Silicon South” by spurring technology investment and economic growth
Ridgeland, Miss (Sept. 24, 2013) – C Spire unveiled a new initiative Tuesday that promises to transform communities into magnets for investment and economic growth by bringing the technology of tomorrow to thousands of homes in cities, towns and neighborhoods in its service area.
C Spire executives revealed details about the company’s ambitious plans to move forward with an aggressive deployment of 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) ultra high-speed Internet access, called C Spire Fiber to the Home, at a news conference attended by state government officials, business executives, mayors and economic development leaders.
“As a brand that’s been pushing the envelope of innovation our entire existence, it’s only natural for us to want to provide the ‘what’s next’ to the customers we serve,” said Hu Meena, president and CEO of C Spire Wireless. “The ‘what’s next’ is now here and we’re ready to release the power of 1 Gig fiber to communities that want to experience the immediate and lasting benefits of 100 times the speed and 100 times the opportunities.”
Meena said the company took the bold step to launch its 1 Gbps Fiber to the Home initiative because, “We know that unlocking the potential of next generation technology for the communities we serve requires taking optical fiber all the way to their door.” C Spire’s Fiber to the Home service will be available to any community near an existing fiber route that opens its arms to welcome it, with fast-track permitting and homeowner pre-registration.
While C Spire announced its deployment commitment today, the company wants to identify and begin working with the first community to make it a reality as quickly as possible. Therefore, C Spire issued a “Get Fiber First” call-to-action, giving local residents, business owners and municipal leaders throughout Mississippi, the opportunity to pronounce why their town needs, wants and will benefit from the future opportunities and 1 Gig Fiber.
C Spire will be accepting applications from neighborhoods, towns and cities in Mississippi that have a passion for innovation and the desire to make their communities better. The communities that want it the most, and move quickest, will get it first.
“While we know some of the tangible benefits that fiber offers to individuals, families, businesses and entire communities, we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible with 100-times-faster Internet,” Meena said. “Similar to the transition from dial-up to broadband, no one could fathom that people would one day be able to shop online, download software and watch endless hours of video on YouTube. The undiscovered potential of fiber is what’s most exciting and compelling about our plans.”
C Spire’s Fiber to the Home will deliver breakthrough Internet technology that will dramatically change the way users connect with their world with an Internet experience that’s faster, richer and more vibrant. While the benefits of 1 Gig Internet will be felt immediately within homes, the community-wide, long-term effects of the service and its real-world applications in all aspects of life are immense.
- Healthcare – Patients will have unprecedented access to healthcare professionals and diagnostic tools, otherwise unavailable – providing answers to healthcare challenges.
- Education – Students will have the competitive edge they need by accessing digital learning tools in the home, robust and video-rich learning experiences and real-time teacher-student interactions online and in the classroom.
- Civic life – Fiber offers a platform that encourages citizen engagement – offering digital access to town halls, live chats with government officials and more.
- Municipal services – Cities and counties will be able to experiment with new, more cost efficient ways to deliver municipal services like sewer, water, garbage disposal, electricity and natural gas.
- Business and job growth – Fiber will nurture an environment for tech start-ups and home-based small businesses that provide today’s innovation and tomorrow’s jobs.
“Technology infrastructure is critical both for families and businesses as we work together to build a better Mississippi,” Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said. “We continue working to increase access to broadband services across Mississippi, and I appreciate C Spire for making this important investment.”
Meena said the company’s decision to extend its existing fiber network to offer 1 Gig Internet is part of its natural evolution as a leader in providing advanced, next-generation technology. C Spire is already offering high-speed, high-bandwidth connections to schools and businesses and is now ready to bring it directly to homes.
Additionally, the company already has resources, technology and equipment in place to quickly deploy C Spire Fiber to the Home to communities in the region. C Spire’s vast fiber optic infrastructure, which includes over 4,000 miles of fiber cable, with another 1,500 miles slated for installation in the next year, already supports its advanced 4G LTE network and C Spire Business Solutions, and has paved the way for C Spire’s fiber deployment.
C Spire is ready to offer the fastest Internet in the world at a competitive price – making 1 Gig affordable and accessible along with options in the near future to bundle Internet with other C Spire services like wireless, digital TV and digital home phone.
“It’s companies like C Spire that are making the right and necessary investments in fiber optic infrastructure so our nation can once again become a high-speed Super Power,” said Heather Gold, president of the Fiber To The Home Council Americas, a non-profit association comprised of companies and organizations that deliver and manufacture high-bandwidth, next-generation, direct fiber optic connections. “We’re thrilled that C Spire is a recognized partner and supporter of our collective mission to make advanced, high-speed fiber Internet accessible to all.”
Government and civic officials, as well as interested residents, will find answers to their questions and all the information they need to actively pursue C Spire Fiber to the Home for their community by visiting www.cspire.com/fiberhome. There, they will find a detailed RFI (request for information), a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions, maps of C Spire’s current fiberoptic network and more.
To help cities jump start their efforts, C Spire is hosting an important “Get Fiber First” town hall meeting at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 30 at its corporate offices in Ridgeland, where C Spire Fiber to the Home representatives will provide additional information about the company’s deployment plans and will be available to answer any specific questions attendees may have. Visit www.cspire.com/fiberhome for more details.
About C Spire Wireless
C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications and technology services company passionately committed to making all of its services conveniently personal. The company powers its fast 3G and 4G LTE networks with extensive optical fiber infrastructure, offers shared data plans, a range of unlimited plans that let you relax and pay only for the unlimited features you really use, products and services with key customer-inspired features and the industry’s only comprehensive rewards program. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google + or www.pinterest.com/cspirewireless
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