Four electric cooperatives have chosen Adtran and FiberRise to help deliver gigabit internet service to their rural markets across Tennessee and Alabama.
The utility operators include the 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 in a statement. “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.”
The electric cooperatives are leveraging access tech from Adtran, including the vendor’s Total Access 5000 Gigabit services architecture, while FiberRise provides engineering services and a comprehensive implementation plan.
“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,” Tombigbee president and CEO Steve Foshee said. “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, the cooperatives serve more than 100,000 people across their member communities.
“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,” Adtran VP of Regional Service Provider Sales Brian Efimetz said in a statement. “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.”
