NTCA award recipient continues ensuring economic growth and community development through Gigabit broadband

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2015-- ADTRAN®, Inc., (NASDAQ: ADTN), a leading provider of next-generation networking solutions, announced that Twin Valley of Kansas is joining its Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives campaign. Recognized by NTCA- The Rural Broadband Association as a Smart Rural Community – which recognizes commitment to promoting rural broadband networks and applications – Twin Valley is proactively investing in the future of its service areas by deploying the ADTRAN Gigabit broadband platform. Twin Valley and the city of Clay Center, KS are now part of an elite, rapidly growing group of communities around the country turning to ultra-fast broadband to stay economically competitive in today’s data driven economy.

Through its significant investment into the telecommunications infrastructure, Twin Valley is preparing to deliver Gigabit speeds to Clay Center residents and businesses in the fall of 2015. As a result, Twin Valley customers, including hospitality, education and manufacturing industries can build upon their existing business operations by effectively supporting both current and emerging high bandwidth, low-latency applications and services.

“The delivery of Gigabit is a game changer in that it will allow for significant economic growth opportunities. The ultra-fast speeds will help businesses expand in the community, as well as attract new companies to our area,” said Lori Huber, Director for Clay County Economic Development Group. “Twin Valley saw an opportunity to build upon their Smart Rural Community designation and has run with it. Gigabit broadband is more than an economic investment in the broadband infrastructure for Twin Valley – it’s an investment in the people and future of Clay Center.”

“Next-generation broadband, specifically Gigabit, is an essential infrastructure component to our community. In fact, when talking about Clay Center, I always mention the ‘big three’ elements—our reverse osmosis water system, our own power plant to ensure reliable energy, and the fact that we have an advanced fiber broadband from Twin Valley,” said Jimmy Thatcher, Clay Center City Mayor.

As a Smart Rural Community, Twin Valley has worked aggressively to foster innovative economic development, commerce, education and public services use through advanced broadband networks. Business customers, particularly in the manufacturing industry, are already reaping the benefits of high-speed broadband, and will continue to do so with the advanced Gigabit services.

A local third-generation family farm is using ultra-fast broadband connectivity for monitoring activities and equipment throughout the farm with Twin Valley’s infrastructure. By enabling even faster speeds, the farm will be able to simplify operations more through expanding its remote access to equipment, ultimately increasing efficiency of labor and resources.

Another locally-owned grain manufacturer has been able to streamline business operations with increased speeds from Twin Valley. Having recently developed an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for processing production orders company-wide, inventory and sales orders can remain in sync across divisions.

“Twin Valley has seen just how important advanced broadband is to our customers. It’s allowing our customers to continue bringing new and exciting opportunities to enrich the way end-users live, work and play,” said Scott Leitzel, vice president of operations for Twin Valley. “ADTRAN has been a great partner and their Gigabit service platform is enabling us to accelerate the deployment of premium broadband and other services to homes and businesses in our community.”

“Time and time again, we’ve heard how beneficial Gigabit is to service providers and their customers,” said Mitch Fleming, vice president, service provider sales, ADTRAN. “Twin Valley is another compelling example of how deploying ultra-fast broadband speeds can open the doors to new economic opportunities and transform rural towns and communities.”