CenturyLink is expanding its Collierville, Tennessee fiber infrastructure in an effort to provide connectivity to additional enterprises, technology firms, manufacturers, distributors, government organizations, start-ups and other corporations. Plans also include a high-speed fiber ring linking parts of Tennessee and Mississippi.
The service provider intends to connect 600 buildings to its network in Tennessee, which currently has more than 3,000 on-network buildings.
“Enterprise businesses have a need for speed and capacity to keep up with increasing business demands,” Chris Clark, CenturyLink’s general manager for Tennessee, said in a press release. “The network expansion and capital investments coming to Collierville reconfirm CenturyLink’s commitment to be the trusted connection for Tennessee businesses needing this infrastructure to unlock new opportunities presented by transformative technologies.” He added that CenturyLink is working closely with local organizations and officials to “raise the tech tide” in the area.
The expansion, which is slated to be completed in the fall, will unite existing CenturyLink fiber routes to create a 59-mile metro ring connecting Collierville, the Memphis metropolitan area and Olive Branch, MS.
The ring that is created, according to the company, will “touch” all science, engineering, technology business and Tier 1 CenturyLink customer in Memphis and touch the I-69 corridor. There is a new industrial park on the route that has extensive growth plans. Buildings will have the option of connecting to the CenturyLink network.
Back in the Summer of 2019, CenturyLink outlined a fiber expansion plan that would result in the largest ‘low loss’ fiber network in North America. The plan calls for adding 4.7 million miles of fiber across the U.S. and Europe. About 1.2 million miles of the network is to be completed by the end of 2021.
