Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / The EPB headquarters building is shown at M.L. King Boulevard and Market Street in 2019. EPB operates the country’s fastest citywide internet service and expanded the service Tuesday to add a new Gig2.5 option.
by Dave Flessner | Chattanooga Times Free Press
EPB is adding another fast lane, launching 2,500 megabits per second service for $97.99 a month.
The city-owned utility launched its fiber optic network in 2009 and boosted the internet service speed to 1,000 megabits per second the following year when it declared Chattanooga to be Gig City.
The new 2,500 megabit service is not the fastest available from EPB. Last year, EPB boosted the top speed for its internet service to 25,000 megabits per second, but the initial residential price of $1,500 a month and the commercial rate of $12,500 a month limited the sign-ups for that service.
“Gig2.5 provides customers with truly world-class connectivity that delivers abundant bandwidth today while future-proofing their home network,” EPB Vice President of New Products Katie Espeseth said in an announcement of the new service Tuesday. “High bandwidth applications are here to stay. We’re committed to keeping our community on the cutting edge by exceeding expectations and maximizing options on our network.”
EPB residential internet options
— Basic: 300 Mbps for $57.99 a month.
— The Gig: 1,000 Mbps for $67.99 per month.
— Gig2.5: 2,500 Mbps for $97.99 a month.
— Gig10: 10,000 Mbps for $299 a month.
— 25Gig: 25,000 Mbps for $1,500 a month.
Source: EPB internet services
EPB is seeking to tap into the growing use of internet services with most households having multiple Wi-Fi users on the web at one time. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, bandwidth needs increase 50% every year, fueled by telehealth usage, work-from-home lifestyles, remote education platforms, smart home devices and other uses.
The need for bandwidth-heavy applications led to the Federal Communications Commission recommending an increase in minimum broadband speeds last year.
EPB initially installed its fiber optic network to help the utility improve the reliability of its electric grid and spur new business development from technology companies eager to tap into the fast internet links. Bento Lobo, a finance professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, estimates that EPB has drawn billions of dollars of additional economic growth to Chattanooga even before EPB recently pioneered a quantum network using its fiber optic network. The quantum network is expected to attract a number of computer companies eager to try out quantum technologies, computing and cyber security systems.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said nearly 10,000 people moved into the Chattanooga area over the past couple of years during the pandemic and surveys of the new residents found Chattanooga’s outdoor attractions and EPB’s high-speed internet connections were the top draws for the region.
EPB spokesperson Sophie Moore said EPB now has about 120,000 internet customers, and nearly half of those have signed up for gig service. Currently, EPB has 16 customers with 10,000 megabit per second service, Moore said.
