MetroCast Deploys Advanced FTTH Technology in Carthage

CARTHAGE, MS – MetroCast Communications, a video, Internet and phone provider with offices in eight Mississippi communities, has announced the deployment of a new, advanced fiber-optic technology for its customers in Carthage, Mississippi.

This initiative follows that of C Spire, which is doing a FTTH buildout in the Ridgeland, Mississippi area where it recently qualified its first neighborhood for 1 Gbps fiber-to-the-home Internet and related digital television and home phone services.

Fiber to the Home (FTTH) is a pure, 100 percent fiber-optic connection that is made directly to the home. The FTTH technology converts data to laser light waves, which are then transmitted over thin strands of glass. FTTH provides capacity for the delivery of advanced products and services, since vast amounts of data can be carried over great distances with high levels of speed and reliability.

First FTTH Deployment in Leake County
MetroCast FTTH is now available to MetroCast’s entire footprint in the city of Carthage and it is the first such deployment in Leake County, Mississippi. MetroCast, which has operations in nine states, already has deployed FTTH in its Maryland and Virginia service areas and expects additional FTTH deployments in Starkville and Oxford, Mississippi this year.

“Unlike other Mississippi FTTH projects announced for deployment later this year, MetroCast has wired its entire footprint in the city of Carthage,” said Lisa Shoemaker, executive director of the Mississippi Telecommunications Association. “This is a major accomplishment for customers here in Carthage.”

As a result of the FTTH deployment, MetroCast customers in Carthage will receive more than 150 new video channels, super-fast Internet, and digital phone service. The new fiber technology will also provide new advanced products and services:

• A new, improved video channel lineup with more than 275 channels available, including more than 50 new High Definition (HD) channels


• New Video On Demand options, which allow customers to instantly view hit movies with a click of a button, many available the same day as DVD and weeks before Netflix or Redbox “TV Everywhere” and Multi-Room DVR options, so customers can control what, when and where they watch


• Digital Phone with unlimited local and long distance calling in the U.S. and Canada (with features like voice mail, call waiting, caller ID and online account management)


• High Speed Internet with residential speeds up to 50 Mbps which is more than five times faster than the national average for downstream speeds and is the fastest residential Internet package available in the MetroCast-Carthage service area*

“MetroCast customers in Carthage now have access to the most powerful, advanced communication technology available,” said MetroCast Regional Manager Rick Ferrall. “With fiber to the home, customers in Carthage will enjoy the next generation of video, Internet and phone technology today in their own home.”

Thomas McElroy, appointments director and state broadband coordinator for Governor Phil Bryant, said, “This commitment by MetroCast to invest in an all-fiber network and to extend its fiber plant to all serviceable households in the City is notable, commendable, and a step forward for us.”

Melanie Hartley, Executive Director of The Leake County Development Association, said the FTTH initiative would benefit the county’s revitalization efforts. “Studies have shown that FTTH can drive economic growth by making communities more attractive to live in and to do business in. It’s a win for individual consumers and the wider community.”

Carthage Mayor Jimmy Wallace said, “With this announcement, I think we can say that Carthage is not only the center of it all in Mississippi, but at the center of technological innovation in the state of Mississippi. We are not the largest city in the state, but we will be among the very first to benefit from FTTH technology. This is good for our residents and another step forward for our entire community.”