EPB celebrating 15 years of its fiber optic service
Today, EPB Fiber Optics still delivers the area’s only 100 percent symmetrical fiber optic service with speeds up to 25,000 gigabits per second.
Fifteen years ago this month, EPB served its first fiber optic customer with the Chattanooga area’s only 100 percent fiber optic service at 15 megabits per second (Mbps) with symmetrical upload and download speeds. Today, EPB Fiber Optics still delivers the area’s only 100 percent symmetrical fiber optic service with speeds up to 25,000 gigabits per second (25 Gig) and maintains the world’s fastest community-wide internet.
“When EPB launched fiber optic services in 2009, many of the conveniences we enjoy today didn’t exist. Many homes didn’t have access to high-speed internet to work from home, and a lot of us rented movies by mail,” said EPB Chief Executive Officer David Wade. “The EPB board’s future-facing decision to approve offering fiber optic services dynamically changed our community and is one of the most important measures we’ve taken to fulfill our mission to enhance quality of life here.”
EPB has continued to invest in its fiber optic system to meet customers’ needs as they have changed over the last 15 years. Famous today for the Gig internet service, EPB Fiber Optics’ most popular service originally was video. Today, 98 percent of fiber customers receive internet service.
Although EPB Fiber Optics services have earned national attention since launching in 2009, the original business plan had conservative goals, many of which far exceeded expectations. According to an independent study, EPB’s fiber optic system and smart grid generated nearly $2.7 billion in community benefit in the first 10 years of operation.
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