Smithville Fiber receives “Top 100” national recognition, Indiana company named for demonstrating capacity to transform local economies and improve communities’ quality of life

ELLETTSVILLE, Indiana – Recognized as a fiber technology “Leader and Innovator,” Smithville Communications Inc. (dba Smithville Fiber) has joined 99 other major companies in being named a national Top 100 broadband company. Achieving national recognition for an unprecedented eighth consecutive time, Indiana-based Smithville Fiber was recognized this year as a top fiber technology service leader by a panel of experts associated with Broadband Communities magazine.  Smithville has established a reputation for providing fiber broadband and fiber-to-the-premise service (FTTP) in Indiana (particularly in traditionally neglected rural areas). The company was named together with major national firms like Google Fiber, Bechtel, Corning, AT&T, Verizon and others in receiving the 2016 honor.

Smithville Fiber is the only Indiana-based company to be named to the Top 100.

“Given our historical commitment to risk-taking innovation and providing a high level of customer service, it is gratifying to receive national peer recognition, particularly for the eighth straight time,” said Darby McCarty, chairman and CEO of Smithville. “The national honor truly reflects the quality and performance of our Smithville professionals, who are among the best in the business.”

To receive the honor, companies must effectively demonstrate the capacity to “transform local economies or improve communities’ quality of life,” or by “introducing innovative technologies that have game-changing potential,” and/or provide other outstanding performance factors, according to Masha Zager, editor of Broadband Communities magazine, which sponsors the Top 100 award.  Editorial and technical experts in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment make the final decisions.

“Smithville was an early adopter and provider of commercial and residential fiber service and has since consistently demonstrated its commitment to fiber-based innovation and transformation,” said Zager. “The Top 100 award denotes industry recognition that Smithville holds a position of national leadership in state-of-the-art fiber-based broadband, both in actual deployment and in their continuing strong positive public support of federal and state policy for fiber growth.”

The commitment to lift data and speed caps from its existing fiber network (for voice customers), its project to create a 100 gigabit fiber ring, and its progress in building Indiana’s first true GigaCity in Jasper were factors in the selection process. Smithville is also bringing its GigaCity technology to other Indiana areas of its fiber service in 2016.

“Our comprehensive initiative to build a fiber GigaCity network in Jasper particularly reflects Smithville’s on-going commitment to create new opportunities for local economic development and to build quality of place for Hoosiers,” said John Patten, president of Smithville Fiber. “We are privileged to create high-impact deployments that are transformational in nature.”

Founded in 1922, privately owned Smithville has grown to be Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 180 employees. Smithville remains strongly engaged in supplying FTTH and other services through its growing network to more than 23,000 businesses and residences., now offering speeds up to 10 Gigabits (1o Gbps) for fiber-based enterprise-level companies.

Smithville was the first to offer up full gigabit service for all residential fiber customers and recently changed their service offering to remove data and speed caps and provide the best available speed for all customers who have voice services with Smithville. Smithville was effectively the first Indiana technology company to actually provide Google-level fiber gigabit speed to residents. Smithville is now setting the standard in new developments with its Smithville GigaCity platform, which brings in-home wireless symmetrical gigabit speeds to communities and regions.

In addition to its award-winning residential service, the company provides enterprise-level high-speed fiber-based connectivity, data consulting, network management and managed services for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, health care providers and government offices. In 2016 Smithville began a $4.5 million network upgrade that will allow it to offer wave-level connectivity from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps, with the capacity to scale to 200 Gbps in the future.

Smithville has expanded commercial fiber access to hospitals and statewide health care networks, utility and wireless companies, technology parks and technology incubators, financial institutions and industrial operations. The company is active in telemedicine and telehealth initiatives, particularly in rural areas. Smithville also provides small business services, managed services, videoconferencing solutions, including customized mobile videoconferencing carts and room systems, video call bridging, ISDN transcoding, and recording and streaming services, in addition to software and hardware offerings.