Trailwave Boosts Residential Internet Speed to 1 Gbps

CLARKSVILLE, GA - Habersham Electric Membership Corporation (Habersham EMC) is increasing residential Internet service speed to 1 GBPS, making Habersham, White, Rabun and some rural parts of Stephens and Hall Counties the first and only communities in Georgia on the nation’s list of gigabit cities.

The Trailwave gigabit service is available for $99 per month for current serviceable members of Habersham EMC. The gigabit service provides access to speeds up to 1000 times faster than the 1 Mbps service offered to residents by other providers. In addition to the gigabit product, Trailwave also offers 50 Mbps residential Internet service packages for $49.95 and has partnered with small businesses who offer phone and wireless services over the network.

Gigabit Service Upgrade Available
The FTTH network currently serves approximately 1,800 customers who could upgrade to gigabit service with only a phone call. HEMC intends to expand fiber service to all 25,000 homes based solely on customer demand.

“Outside of our current serviceable area, we will turn on new neighborhoods as they show greater demand,” said Michael Foor, Trailwave project manager, “so anyone in an extended area can get service faster by encouraging their neighbors to pre-register as well.”

Being a “gigabit county” will help the Northeast Georgia area reach a broader list of business prospects, as well as support home-based remote workers and startups.

"While the network is benefiting the coop and its members by enabling advanced electric grid communications, we also recognize it is an important part of the complete infrastructure package we bring to both recruitment efforts and internal economic development,” said Pealock, CEO of Habersham EMC. “We can compete with the best broadband communities anywhere in the country.”

“Not only can we use streaming video services for on-demand content, working remotely from home, or helping our kids learn,” said Trailblazer Jason Blackburn, “but our property values increase with each new home connected to fiber instead of copper.”