Hargray Fiber Expands Ultra-Fast Fiber Internet in Tifton, GA

SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hargray Fiber announced plans to expand the company's ultra-fast, state-of-the art, all-fiber Internet network into residential neighborhoods in Tifton, Georgia. The company began serving businesses in the Tifton area in 2020, and the expansion into residential areas is part of Hargray Fiber's long-term goal to bring the most advanced and fastest Internet available in the world to more than 500,000 homes and businesses across the United States by 2027.

Hargray Fiber CEO, David Armistead, stressed the importance of the company's investment to consumers and the broader local community. "We are committed to providing underserved communities with the high-speed connectivity that is essential for families, businesses, and local economies; without these essential services, many of the communities we are targeting will not survive," said Armistead. "We are excited to extend services to Tifton, and we look forward to becoming long-term partners to the community."

"This is exciting news for Tifton, Tift County and its residents, and we are honored to be part of the growing list of cities in Hargray Fiber's service area," said Tifton City Manager Pete Pyrzenski.  "This extension of residential service will complement the connection to businesses recently offered to our community. We welcome Hargray Fiber's investment as a means of helping Tifton enhance its overall capabilities to keep up with today's connectivity demands."

Featuring gigabit download and upload speeds, Hargray Fiber will bring 10 times more speed to consumer doorsteps at a time when fast, reliable Internet is becoming increasingly critical to modern households.

For many consumers, Internet touches every facet of daily life. Remote work, telehealth, and virtual learning all require robust, reliable connections. A 2021 study by Deloitte indicated that 55% of U.S. households include one or more remote workers, and 43% include at least one household member attending virtual classes. Additionally, 50% of U.S. adults had virtual doctor visits last year.

"Internet connectivity isn't just about browsing or gaming anymore," said Hargray Fiber's President, Ashley Phillips. "More and more, we see households where multiple bandwidth-intensive activities occur simultaneously. Imagine a home where a parent is attending a Zoom meeting, a child is in a virtual classroom, and another household member is streaming live TV. This isn't an uncommon scenario, and many consumers' Internet connections just aren't up to the task. Fiber-based Internet solves this problem by bringing the fastest, most robust connections directly to homes."

The 2021 Deloitte report also noted that the average U.S. household now utilizes a total of 25 connected devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, game consoles, home concierge systems like Amazon Echo and Google Nest, fitness trackers, camera and security systems, and smart home devices such as connected exercise machines and thermostats.

Supporting this burgeoning ecosystem of household devices can challenge companies serving customers over DSL or cable systems. "Older copper wire and coaxial networks worked just fine for the technologies they were built for. Copper lines are great for telephone calls and coax worked well for cable TV, but those networks struggle to deliver the kind of bandwidth possible with fiber," said Gwynne Lastinger, Chief Operating Office at Hargray Fiber. "Fiber optic technology is the future. Fiber networks are more durable, more consistent, and they move data at the speed of light. Best of all, our network easily keeps pace with technology innovations, exponentially increasing demands for bandwidth, and evolving customer needs. The options are almost limitless."

Hargray Fiber is slated to begin construction in Tifton in May 2022. For more information, visit https://residential.hargray.com/hargrayfiberexpansion. 

About Hargray Fiber

Hargray Fiber is an Internet service provider based in Savannah, GA that operates a more than 2,000 route-mile fiber network serving business, enterprise, and residential customers in a wide-range of communities throughout the southeastern United States, including Savannah, Pooler, Macon, Valdosta, Conyers, Lawrenceville, and Peachtree Corners. Delivering advanced telecommunications solutions with an emphasis on exceptional customer care and community engagement, Hargray Fiber belongs to the Clearwave Fiber family of brands, serving cities across the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States.

SOURCE Hargray Fiber