SOUTHERN LIGHT INSTALLING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET CABLES IN TUSCALOOSA

Fiber optics infrastructure company Southern Light has signed a deal with the University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa to install fiber internet cable.

Mayor Walt Maddox and Southern Light CEO Andy Newton made the announcement this morning at Government Plaza. Newton said they’re already laying the groundwork for new fiber at several university buildings.

The move doesn’t mean you can switch from your current internet provider to Southern Light, Newton said, but it does mean local providers can make use of that infrastructure and eventually offer high-speed internet connections to Tuscaloosa homes.

“We are what’s called an open access provider,” Newton said. “So once our infrastructure is in place in the city, our customers can provide residential service off that network.”

Newton said fiber networks can carry thousands of times the bandwidth of the copper infrastructure Tuscaloosa currently has.