Lightower Fiber Networks said that the Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) has tapped the company to build it a custom 250-mile fiber network connecting to 28 sites -- including DEC's offices, control centers, and substations -- across the state.
The all-fiber network will involve construction of 180 miles of new network by Lightower and put the company in position for new fiber drops to hundreds of new businesses throughout the state that previously did not have access to all-fiber bandwidth.
"Lightower worked very closely with Delaware Electric Cooperative to design a custom solution that not only exceeds their requirements for today, but that also essentially future-proofs them as their network needs grow down the road," said Rob Shanahan, CEO of Lightower, in a statement. "The scale, performance, and reliability of this DEC network will help them to serve their customers better by allowing them to focus on delivering electricity, while Lightower manages the network. We also look forward to working with DEC members to bring these advanced networking solutions to businesses across Delaware."
DEC engineers will use the new fiber network to communicate directly with the cooperative's substations and remote advanced electrical equipment, as well as detect and prevent outages. In the event of outages, DEC said the network will help it restore power faster through the use of automatic reclosers, motor operated air brake switches, load control devices, and its meter reader systems.
"Delaware Electric Cooperative invests in advanced best equipment and solutions in order to deliver highly reliable service to our members," said Bill Andrew, President and CEO of Delaware Electric Cooperative, in a statement. "Lightower's all-fiber solution provides DEC with incredibly reliable, secure, and scalable bandwidth everywhere we need it throughout the state. With a state-of-the-art network like this, we can provide industry-leading reliability and emergency response for our electricity customers. At the same time, this project makes DEC the catalyst for making all-fiber networking services available to those same member businesses."
Lightower has built a successful business model by offering fiber-based lit and dark fiber services across its territory in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. This deal with the DEC should drive further fiber expansion for Lightower and add service availability for new customers.
The company provides service to over 5,000 wireless towers, 100 Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs), 500 COs, and telco hotels, and over 250 data centers.
For more:
- see the release
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