‘Tech cities’ fuel start-up success throughout TN
Tennessee has a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that’s no accident. From a diverse pool of talent up through venture-capital partners and a strong accelerator network, we’ve put into place a solid framework for innovation.
But no matter how good things are, they can always improve. And one way that happens is by making sure that we do everything we can to foster technological innovation throughout the state.
That’s why LaunchTN was thrilled with Google’s announcement that it was bringing Google Fiber to Music City. It’s going to be a game-changer for innovators in Middle Tennessee. Google Fiber will have speeds significantly faster than traditional broadband, meaning that start-ups can move gigabytes of data around in minutes, even seconds. In a competitive national entrepreneurial environment, time is money — and this innovation means lots more intellectual capital for Tennessee.
To get some insight on just how disruptive this move will be, look no further than Chattanooga. One-gigabit-per-second fiber Internet service is available to all residents and businesses thanks to the Gig Network. At 200 times the national average Internet connection speed, the Gig has already revolutionized everything from entrepreneurial opportunities to classroom instruction.
The fiber network that forms the Gig’s backbone was installed by EPB, Chattanooga’s publicly owned electric power system, in 2010 and is just the first step in a network that will continue to advance and elevate high-speed Internet and other technology to benefit the region’s businesses and residents.
A similar groundswell of innovation is under way in Jackson, where the Jackson Energy Authority (JEA) has upgraded its fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, network to gigabit-level speeds. JEA first put its network into service in 2002, and since has partnered with Adtran Inc. to spend between $8 million and $10 million to expand and increase capabilities. In addition to benefiting entrepreneurs, city officials say they hope the network will help draw in developers who will use the area’s businesses and residents as a built-in test market for high-speed enabled products and services.
Other Tennessee cities with this stellar bandwidth capability include Clarksville, Morristown, Tullahoma and Bristol. In 2008, the Tullahoma Utilities Board created LighTUBe. In addition to attracting employers, the FTTH network connects residents and provides smart meter capability. The network offers 1 gig service to business and residential customers. In 2013, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) and Alcatel-Lucent announced the availability of 1 gigabit broadband service to all 33,000 residential and business electric customers of BTES.
Tennessee’s innovators need the latest and best tools at their disposal, and that most definitely includes a fast, and accessible, Internet. We are working toward the day when innovations such as Google Fiber are available for all areas of the state, because we know what that will mean for entrepreneurs from the Tri-Cities to Memphis.
Charlie Brock is CEO of Launch Tennessee (www.launchtn.org), a public-private partnership focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in Tennessee with the ultimate goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 state in the Southeast for entrepreneurs to start and grow a company.