Otelco, a telecommunications provider, is investing $1.2 million in gigabit internet in parts of Etowah and Jefferson counties. The investment adds 200 miles of fiber-to-the-premise to the company’s network, which results in the availability of gigabit internet to approximate 18,700 additional locations.
In Etowah County, the infrastructure will serve approximately 10,750 locations in more than 130 miles in portions of Gadsden, Glencoe and Attalla. The anticipated complete date for the construction is late 2021 or early 2022.
In Jefferson County, the more than 80-mile build will serve approximately 7,950 locations in portions of Clay and Pinson. Construction is also expected to be complete in late 2021 or early 2022.
“The Otelco family of companies have a long-standing tradition of delivering state of the art communication technologies to our subscribers in the states we serve; today that technology is futureproof fiber, and we couldn’t be more excited about bringing the technology to these communities,” said Richard Clark, Otelco chief executive officer.
The company, based in Oneonta, provides wireline telecommunications services in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia. Earlier this year, Otelco was purchased by Oak Hill Capital for approximately $40.6 million.