PBS Coals Mines for High-Bandwidth, Fiber-based Connectivity with Comcast Business Ethernet

SOMERSET TOWNSHIP, Pa., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to business and residential customers, today announced that PBS Coals, the fourth-largest coal producer in Pennsylvania, is using Comcast Ethernet services to expedite the transfer of critical files to maintain the accuracy of its mining operations and to help ensure the safety of its approximately 650 employees in multiple locations across Somerset County. While the new fiber connection is critical to supporting PBS Coals' business, there is an added benefit to the broader community, as the investment to extend Comcast's fiber network to the company's locations means that other area businesses will now have access to a high-capacity, fiber network as well.

Founded in 1963, PBS Coals operates 10 coal mining and processing facilities throughout Somerset County and currently produces 3.3 million metric tonnes of raw coal for the electric power industry regionally and for the steel industry internationally. Nearly all of the organization's day-to-day business activities are dependent on 3D maps, which can be up to three gigabytes in size and must be constantly updated using AUTOCAD software to reflect the most accurate information on miner locations, drilling depths, and safety hazards. As a result, each engineering team is tasked with transferring ever-changing files on a daily basis – which requires a sizable amount of bandwidth.

"Our engineering team spans two buildings, and with our previous T1 connection, transferring and editing our maps could take hours," said Joe Cabala, IT manager for PBS Coals. "We looked at multiple providers to determine who could extend their fiber network to our location and offer us the speed, scalability and bandwidth we needed, and Comcast was the only one able to meet our expectations."

Since fiber networks did not previously exist in this area, Comcast Business installed a 300 Megabit per second (Mbps) Ethernet Private Line (EPL) in Friedens, Pa., that now runs between PBS Coals' headquarters and its nearby operations building to support the energy company's high-bandwidth needs. Comcast also deployed a 500 Mbps Ethernet Dedicated Internet (EDI) at headquarters as well, which allows employees to access the PBS Coals network from other connected locations while also improving online communication with its Russia-based parent company, Severstal.

"Being able to provide local businesses with a reliable connection to both their data and employees – whether they happen to be sitting next to each other, down the street, or underground in a coal mine – is one of the many advantages that high-bandwidth services like Ethernet can offer," said Glenn Lytle, vice president of Comcast Business in the Keystone Region. "Our customers span a wide array of industries, ranging from power and energy to education, healthcare and government, but the scalability and speed that we are able to offer is something that can be unanimously beneficial to them all."

About Comcast Business

Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a modern, advanced network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Internet, TV and Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management.

The Comcast Business Ethernet suite offers high-performance point-to-point and multi-point Ethernet services with the capacity to deliver cloud computing, software-as-a-service, business continuity/disaster recovery and other bandwidth-intensive applications. Comcast Ethernet services are significantly faster than standard T1 lines and other legacy technologies, providing scalable bandwidth from 1 Mbps up to 10 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) in more than 20 major US markets.

For more information, call 866-429-3085 or visit http://business.comcast.com/enterprise. 

Follow us on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.

About Comcast Cable

Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to businesses and residential customers. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

SOURCE Comcast Cable

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