Virginia Beach firm to operate South Hampton Roads fiber ring

Dec 26, 2023

A Virginia Beach company will provide operations, maintenance and marketing of a 119-mile regional fiber ring that aims to access the fastest internet speeds on the East Coast.

As part of a public-private partnership, the Southside Network Authority signed an interim agreement with Global Technical Systems, which will lease 96 of 288 strands in the open access fiber-optic network. The company can lease dark fiber to residential and business customers in addition to larger institutional users.

Andria McClellan, Norfolk city councilwoman and Southside Network Authority chair, said the infrastructure can attract new internet service providers with the goal of creating internet competition, lowering prices and increasing speeds for residents. The authority was created by the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach in November 2019.

Global Technical Systems can lease further strands from the authority at defined prices. The agreement includes revenue-sharing.

"As a local Hampton Roads company, GTS is working to address digital divide issues and expand this network to all 17 municipalities in the region," Global Technical Systems CEO Terry Spitzer said in a news release. "We are committed to supporting economic development initiatives that will grow our local economy."

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