Chattanooga, TN rolls out community wide 10 Gbps internet

Municipal utility EPB Fiber Optics announced that it’s now offering 10Gbps broadband Internet service to any Chattanooga, Tennessee resident who wants it, provided they pay the asking price.

Alcatel’s TWDM-PON ultra-broadband technology has underpinned a fibre optic network infrastructure to support the world’s first 10 Gbps community wide network in Chattanooga, USA.

The service is available for $299 a month, with no additional installation fees or contracts. EPB is also launching 5 Gig and 10 Gig Internet products for small businesses as well as 3 Gig, 5 Gig and 10 Gig Professional products for larger enterprises.

On its website, EPB says: “EPB Fiber Optics brought gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps) to “Gig City” in 2010 with our community-wide fiber optic network”. “Five years ago, Chattanooga and Hamilton County became the first in the United States to offer up to 1 Gig Internet speeds, ‘ said Harold DePriest, president and CEO of EPB”. Other venture capitalists have flocked to Chattanooga because of its already legendary internet.

The city has branded itself as “Gig City” since it first launched a 1-gigabit service to all electric power utility EPB’s customers in 2009.

“Chattanooga is a city ready to compete in the 21st Century innovation economy”, said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. “The 10 Gig offering will continue to grow wages, diversify our local economy and propel Chattanooga as a center for technology and invention”. The city cited a recent University of Tennessee study showing that the municipal broadband initiative has helped the Chattanooga area generate more than 2,800 new jobs and $865.3 million in economic and social benefits.

While this screaming-fast Internet speed is suited to most businesses, analysts question how it can appeal to homeowners, as the 1 Gbps was more than enough for them, not to mention that it’s cheaper.

While ISPs were still in the process of rolling out 1Gbps services, Comcast thought it’d be a good guy for once and introduce 2Gbps service.

Among a flutter of tweets coming from Startup Week Chattanooga today, hints of a big announcement from the Gig City began to surface in the late morning.