ADTRAN Builds Momentum for Gigabit Broadband with Deployments in More Than 100 U.S. Communities

Service providers nationwide are seizing Gigabit service opportunity to accelerate broadband adoption and transform economic paradigm of local communities

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 30, 2015-- ADTRAN®, Inc., (NASDAQ: ADTN), a leading provider of next-generation networking solutions, today announced more than 100 communities across the U.S. are reaping the benefits of Gigabit broadband as part of ADTRAN’s Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives campaign. United Communications is the most recent ADTRAN customer to outpace the competition and beat larger service providers to Gigabit delivery with deployments in Nolensville, Chapel Hill, and College Grove, Tennessee. These communities are now at the leading edge of a nationwide trend where Gigabit service is rapidly becoming a key catalyst for economic growth and development. Communities of all sizes are seeing an increase in housing values, enriched education opportunities for both young and old, and a greater ability to attract new business developments to their local areas.

“Based on independent research commissioned by the FTTH Council, Gigabit broadband is providing a 1.1% direct impact to per capita GDP in the communities studied. This material shift in economic activity is transforming the lives of the residents, businesses and institutions in these communities,” said Heather Burnett Gold, president and CEO, FTTH Council. “Programs like ADTRAN’s Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives campaign that are stimulating interest in and driving awareness for Gigabit broadband are empowering these communities to create a new economic future for themselves.”

Staying at the forefront of the technology boom in Tennessee, United Communications is proactively deploying fiber to residential and business customers. Working with United Communications, the town of Chapel Hill is turning to Gigabit speeds as the foundation of a new possible satellite campus for a local community college. Gigabit will support the bandwidth needed for collaboration tools, so residents can avoid traveling to another city for educational purposes. The new virtual community college campus is expected to open doors to new opportunities that may not have been possible before Gigabit broadband. Businesses are also finding that the robust Gigabit bandwidth is creating new ways to recruit and engage employees with telecommuting possibilities that may not have existed otherwise. Now, remote employees are no longer hindered by slower home internet speeds and in some cases even have a broadband advantage over the home office.

“Gigabit delivery is allowing United Communications to stay ahead of the technology curve both within our community and across the country,” said William Bradford, president and CEO of United Communications. “The ADTRAN Gigabit platform ensures we are able to grow ahead of customer demand. In fact, by using ADTRAN, we’ve able to go above and beyond our expectations and achieve our goal of being the fastest Internet provider with the best service for the local community.”

“United Communications is a prime example of how forward-thinking service providers are taking the initiative and laying the foundation for a Gigabit-enabled economic future. They are creating opportunities for their residents and businesses to actively engage in a globally connected marketplace,” said Mitch Fleming, vice president, service provider sales, ADTRAN. “A year ago, ADTRAN set an aggressive goal to enable Gigabit service in 200 communities across the U.S. by the end of 2015. This initiative is fully on track to achieving that goal and it is exciting to see the positive impact that Gigabit services are having in transforming these communities.”

ADTRAN’s Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives program showcases how innovative technologies are being used in cities, towns and communities across the country to support economic growth and urban development. These communities are using ADTRAN’s world-class Wi-Fi and fiber-based Gigabit broadband and Cloud connectivity solutions to reinvigorate downtown business and residential districts, connect classrooms with other learning centers around the world, and help attract new companies seeking to relocate out of crowded urban centers.