EPB, Chattanooga’s municipal utility, said it has launched a community-wide 25 Gbps internet service over a fully fibre network, with symmetrical upload and download speeds. EPB achieved the speeds using Nokia’s symmetrical 25G PON (Passive Optical Network) fiber broadband technology. 

The 25 Gbps service was brought first to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Convention Centre, for connectivity to thousands of smart devices during business conferences, e-gaming competitions, live streaming and other events. The company introduced speeds of up to 10 Gbps in 2015, in a 600 square mile area in Chattanooga, Tennessee, using the TWDM-PON broadband system of Alcatel-Lucent.

The new equipment is being installed in partnership also with Arista Networks, which is providing the equipment to upgrade the convention space to Wi-Fi 6 with multi-gigabit PoE campus switching platform. Arista security capabilities, including WIPS (Wireless Intrusion Prevention System) coupled with IPFIX, will also ensure the security and protection of the visitor connections.

Hamilton County and the City of Chattanooga each dedicated USD 151,000 in infrastructure funding to cover the cost of the new networking equipment and Wi-Fi access points throughout the convention center, as well as much of the cost of providing multi-gigabit connectivity for the next five years. 

Plans range from USD 60 to USD 300 per month

EPB has three main plans. The 300 Mbps deal costs USD 57.99 per month, the 1 Gbps deal is priced at USD 67.99 per month while the 10 Gbps deal goes for USD 299.99 per month. An ensured Wi-Fi offering for the home, with free service calls, costs USD 9.99.