“High-speed fiber connectivity is critical in re-establishing rural as ‘cool,’ and we positively recognize Smithville’s long-term commitment to providing state-of-the-art fiber technology and gigabit capacity to Hoosier businesses and people in small town and rural areas,” said Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann. “Smithville truly is the state champion for Hoosier-based high-speed gigabit fiber connectivity.”
Smithville’s conversion of Gosport to fiber began in 2012, and the new service will completely replace old technology copper lines in the city, according to Ms. McCarty. “This new capacity opens the doors for the higher quality of life for residents and serious business advantages that fiber brings to a community, including access to Indiana’s fastest Internet, HD IPTV and crystal-clear digital voice services,” she noted. “Rural businesses, and Indianapolis and Bloomington companies who have employees working from home in virtual offices will now have a significant advantage with the new fiber services in Gosport.”
Internet protocol (IP) platforms represent the new standard that the FCC is advocating. “Smithville is already well into the process of converting our service areas to fiber-based IP, which probably won’t come to other communities and areas for some time to come,” Ms. McCarty added.
Smithville Communications, Indiana’s largest independent telecommunications company, began a regional over- build of its “twisted-pair” copper transmission lines about four years ago. Its enterprise division, Smithville Telecom, has advanced telemedicine and healthcare operations across the state through high-capacity fiber connectivity, including creating the capacity for HD image transmission and direct medical consults between clinics and a number of large and small hospitals. Several universities, colleges and technology facilities, including the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park, also utilize Smithville Communications fiber services.
Serving about 23,000 residential and business customers in southern and central Indiana, Smithville Communications offers a range of high-speed fiber-based services, including speeds of up to 1 Gbps to consumers and 10 Gbps to large businesses and enterprise customers. The company is active with enterprise and/or residential customers in Columbus, the greater Bloomington area, Jasper, Seymour, Evansville, Lafayette, Fishers, Indianapolis, Lizton and other areas. With its ongoing build-out, the company is committed to ultimately replacing all of its remaining twisted-pair copper-based customers with fiber optics as market forces and financial conditions permit.
Earlier this year Smithville Communications publicly made the commitment to strategically strengthen its focus on becoming a technology delivery enterprise, which will include the state’s fastest fiber “Big Pipe” broadband; high quality IPTV video programming; information, data and video technology services; voice; original local video content (including sports); and other communication technology and content.
“Smithville Communications is rapidly moving from its former position as a regulated utility toward becoming a 21st century enterprise focused on the delivery of high-performing communications technology,” said Cullen McCarty, executive vice president.
The company will celebrate the formal launch of the new fiber services on December 7 with an open house that supports the Gosport Business Association. The company donated a HD 39” flatscreen television with six months of Smithville’s Triple Play package (IPTV, Internet and voice services) to support the Association’s “Snow Drop” raffle and will provide free barbeque sandwiches for those visiting the open house.
About Smithville
Founded nearly 90 years ago as the Monroe County Telephone Company, privately owned Smithville is now Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 140 employees. Smithville is deploying Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) services, which with speeds ranging from 1-10 Gbps provides the fastest connectivity available in Indiana to business, institutions and consumers. The company currently serves about 23,000 businesses and residences in southern and central Indiana. Its subsidiary Smithville Telecom provides fiber-based connectivity, data consulting, network management and managed services for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers and government offices in southern and other parts of Indiana, including Evansville, Lafayette and parts of the greater Indianapolis area. For more information, please visit www.smithville.net. For media inquiries, please contact Michael Snyder at 317-805-4870 or msnyder@themekgroup.com