David Thomas

Jackson Energy Authority plans to upgrade its optical infrastructure and make its Internet speed 10 times faster, officials said Tuesday.

"We'll upgrade to 1,000 megabits per second," said Ben Lovins, senior vice president of JEA's Telecommunications Division. "Most of our customers are at 75 megabits, but let's round that up to 100. That means the Internet will be 10 times faster."

Lovins said JEA expects the upgrade to take three years with initial upgrades for customers who want to order the new service. The project will cost up to $10 million, Lovins said. Customer pricing for the improved service has not been determined.

"This is taking Jackson to the next generation," Lovins said. "The faster activity, faster speed, is putting us on the map with Nashville, Chattanooga, Austin (Texas) and Kansas City.

"We've been in fiber, but what we are bringing to the citizens is a reinvestment, an upgrade to the next generation ... It's only because of the customers on the network that allow us to make this reinvestment to move Jackson forward."

JEA serves about 35,000 customers with electric, gas or water services, and nearly all 35,000 have access to JEA's telecommunications services - Internet, cable television and telephone, Lovins said.

About 18,000 use at least one of JEA's telecommunication services, and about 12,000 subscribe to the Internet service, Lovins said.

JEA launched its broadband service in 2003 and plans to upgrade with equipment from the ADTRAN company, which is located in Huntsville, Ala.

"We built this network, and we are doing this out of cash flow because of the customer, which is encouraging and exciting," Lovins said. "The gig is not just for the computer geek, it's for the infrastructure for the city, hospitals, with high-speed data for medical images for an example and schools."

Lovins said the upgrade gives Jackson another step up in its quest for industry.

"Jackson is more than a city in West Tennessee," Lovins said. "Name your company, and they can have an office in Chattanooga, California and Jackson. We got the approval to move ahead, and we know we are on the right track. Thank goodness we have the support."

David Thomas, 731-425-9637