CenturyLink bringing high-speed fiber network to Collierville

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – There's an increasing demand across Tennessee for high-speed internet and data capacity to support economic growth, product innovation and leading-edge technology. To meet this growing need and help businesses, CenturyLink, Inc. is expanding its fiber network infrastructure to enterprises, technology firms, manufacturers, distributors, government organizations, start-ups and other corporations in the Collierville area.

Raising the tech tide
CenturyLink currently serves more than 3,000 on-network buildings across Tennessee with plans to connect an additional 600 properties in this year.

"Enterprise businesses have a need for speed and capacity to keep up with increasing business demands," said Chris Clark, CenturyLink general manager for Tennessee. "The network expansion and capital investments coming to Collierville reconfirm CenturyLink's commitment to be the trusted connection for Tennessee businesses needing this infrastructure to unlock new opportunities presented by transformative technologies." He added that CenturyLink is working closely with local organizations and officials to "raise the tech tide" in the area.

In addition to high-speed internet, many businesses in the Collierville area need a better way to access, store and process data closer to where it is being created and consumed. CenturyLink's edge compute services – combined with its diverse, global fiber network – can provide these businesses with low-latency networking to support more efficient data management and technological innovation.

"MCR Safety welcomes the investment CenturyLink is making by expanding their fiber infrastructure in Collierville," stated Timothy Thomas vice president information technology, MCR Safety. "As a global company, we rely on partners like CenturyLink to provide high-speed capacity and advanced fiber assets on their global network which allows our company to grow in a sustainable and strategic way."

Investing in a 59-mile metro fiber ring
The network expansion, expected to be completed in the fall of 2020, will tie together existing CenturyLink fiber routes to create a 59-mile-long metro fiber ring connecting Collierville, the Memphis metro area and Olive Branch, Mississippi. The new ring will physically touch every science, engineering and technology business in Memphis, as well as every CenturyLink Tier 1 customer. It will also touch the new I-69 corridor.

A new industrial park is already located on this route, and current construction plans point to extensive additional growth. New buildings on the route will have the option of connecting directly to CenturyLink's global fiber network (going on-network), resulting in significant cost savings for the building's tenants.

The expanded CenturyLink network will enable customers to blend network connectivity, data storage and edge compute services into one integrated package to meet their complex business needs.

CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL)