LAS VEGAS, NV – Huntsville, Alabama is experiencing a technology boon as Atlanta-based DC Blox announces construction of a new $13 million data center. This announcement closely follows a commitment for a $1.6 billion manufacturing plant in the “Rocket City” by Toyota-Mazda in early January.
“To say things are happening at light speed would be an understatement. We are pleased to see the City of Huntsville continue to lead in the race to stay at the forefront of innovation,” said Thomas Reiman, President of The Broadband Group. “There is no doubt that Huntsville Utilities’ continued dedication to investment in advanced fiber broadband infrastructure has positioned the City as a center of excellence for technology-enabled businesses.”
This isn’t Huntsville’s first foray into the ever-evolving technology arena. The City, once known for its textiles, was nicknamed “Rocket City” after the construction of America’s first space satellite, Explorer 1. Home to the second largest technology and research park in the nation, Huntsville takes great pride in its well-earned status as a center of innovation.
Recognizing the City’s unique history and its positioning within the market, Huntsville Utilities engaged The Broadband Group in 2014 to evaluate various deployment scenarios of a fiber network system to serve internal Utility operational requirements. In 2016, Huntsville Utilities announced the launch of a fiber network expansion, with Google Fiber serving as an Anchor Tenant through the non-exclusive lease of dark fiber capacity from the Utility. Google Fiber announced the first Fiber-to-the-Home customer connections in May 2017.
“There has always been a nexus between first-class fiber broadband infrastructure and economic development, but to see it work this quickly and at this scale is a feat worthy of a place nicknamed the “Rocket City,” continued Reiman.
For the past two years, The Broadband Group has led the engineering, financial modeling, and operational readiness plans for Huntsville Utilities’ fiber network expansion. Construction oversight of the ~1,000 mile fiber build is managed by TBG Network Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Broadband Group.
The deployment of this infrastructure not only benefits the current residential base, but gives businesses seeking relocation an opportunity to provide greater quality of life for their employees.
“We have really focused our efforts on creating a community that supports both current and future technology demands. We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, for us – not even the sky’s the limit.” said Reiman.