CenturyLink to expand fiber network throughout Lowcountry

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CenturyLink Inc. is expanding its fiber network infrastructure in the Charleston region to meet the Lowcountry’s demand for high-speed internet and data capacity.

“It’s the right time to make more investment in Charleston because of the hyper growth that Charleston is seeing,” said Ben Team, CenturyLink’s general manager for the Carolinas. He added, “There’s just so much happening, and everybody needs to acquire data and analyze the data they’re getting and then act on it.”

Team said the region is currently underserved in terms of fiber-optic service because with the increasing number of jobs and manufacturers, the Lowcountry has seen a “data explosion” that requires faster internet speeds.

“What they (businesses) will see is infrastructure that is going to allow them to do the things they need to do within their IT world,” Team said. “We are a global company, so our metro fiber-optic assets like this connect globally.”

The Charleston network expansion, expected to be completed by midyear, will tie together existing CenturyLink fiber routes to better connect the metro Charleston area.

Team said fiber is preferable to copper wires, which fiber is often replacing, because fiber is more resilient, less expensive to install and easier to upgrade, and data is able to move faster through it.

“The better type of equipment you can build, the equipment is actually pushing that speed across the glass, and it’s literally light,” Team said.

Team said that although he would obviously like for businesses to use CenturyLink for their network needs, other internet companies will also have access to the fiber infrastructure that CenturyLink is installing through wholesale agreements.

“You’re not limited,” Team said. “If you’re a customer and you use a different carrier or you need a different product that needs to ride over a fiber-optic line, we work with other companies to make sure we provide that infrastructure for anybody.”

CenturyLink has done similar fiber expansions in Charlotte, Raleigh and the Greenville-Spartanburg area. Team said the company is also working to provide connections at the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

“Types of infrastructure investments like this in a place like Charleston that’s growing the way it is … really help those businesses do what they want and need to do for their customers,” Team said.