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C Spire Revs up Its Ultra-fast 1 Gbps Internet Access for Natchez Businesses Today

2018-02-08

Next installment of firm’s Tech Movement initiative aims to boost broadband speeds in Mississippi

Natchez, Miss., (Feb. 8, 2018) –

News media are invited to attend a meeting today where C Spire executives and local economic developers will outline the next phase of the company’s Tech Movement initiative designed to make affordable, ultra-fast broadband internet access widely available to Natchez businesses.

Local economic developers, Mayor Darryl V. Grennell and C Spire executives have invited over 2,100 local business owners to a meeting today at The Pilot House restaurant inside Hotel Vue to learn more about the opportunity to get Gigabit speed internet access for their enterprises for as low as $200 a month, the lowest price available in the nation.

The luncheon meeting is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. at The Pilot House, which is located at 130 John R. Junkin Drive in downtown Natchez. Registration closed yesterday, but C Spire said seats are still available and encouraged local business owners who are interested in ultra-fast internet access to plan to attend the meeting.

Natchez is one of at least two dozen cities chosen by C Spire to begin the first U.S. effort aimed at making Gigabit internet widely available to businesses ranging from coffee houses and restaurants to law offices, accounting and tax services.

Gigabit internet access for businesses is the second phase of a major private sector technology deployment by C Spire that features a massive expansion of ultra-fast broadband internet and wireless fiber-based fixed internet to more than 250,000 consumers and small businesses in cities and towns across the state.

The high-tech firm has been on a mission to expand broadband availability and boost average mobile and fixed broadband speeds in Mississippi. Overall, C Spire plans to deliver broadband Internet to over 250,000 residents and businesses with speeds ranging from 25 Mbps in underserved areas, 100 Mbps in other communities to 1 Gbps for businesses using the latest fiber optic and fixed wireless technologies, which enable faster and more widespread availability of critical services. The company also is continuing its FTTH Gigabit deployment in several communities across the state.

Broadband expansion is a key part of the C Spire Tech Movement, an outgrowth of the company’s 2013 groundbreaking Fiber-to-the-Home program, one of the first of its type in the U.S. and the fastest to connect thousands of Mississippi consumers in nine communities across the state to Gigabit internet, digital television and home phone services.

C Spire has installed over 8,000 route miles of fiber optics across the state and owns and has deployed more wireless spectrum in Mississippi than any other communications carrier. “With this model, we can make these cutting-edge 21st century services available anywhere as long as there is enough interest to justify our capital investment,” McIntosh added.

Broadband deployment is one element of the company’s initiative to leverage its technology leadership and investments to help transform its service areas. Other elements of the program include leading the development of a tech workforce in Mississippi through education initiatives, expanding tech innovation and development of a state-of-the-art digital customer care platform for customers and team members.

In recent years, C Spire’s continuing technology investment has played a central role in state gains for average mobile and fixed broadband speeds in Mississippi. The company became the state’s fastest Internet service provider in 2014 and more than quadrupled speeds in the state following its successful FTTH initiative.

About C Spire
C Spire is a leading technology company committed to transforming Mississippi through the C Spire Tech Movement, which includes the massive deployment of broadband internet to homes and small businesses, a state-of-the-art digital experience for its customers and team members, technology innovation leadership and the creation and retention of a 21st century technology workforce in its region. The company provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data and cloud services for businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.