Hot wired

Team SC makes rural fiber optics a reality.

By Donald Hampton

South Carolina's state leadership, its counties and its utilities have teamed up to make the world of business more efficient - and fast. Team SC, the state's cooperative effort, is designed to ensure the success of every one of the state's companies. Team SC places a priority on meeting the needs of business and the community, in order to expand commerce and promote economic success-even in the state's least developed areas.

Rural Aiken County is a great example of how this effort is getting the job done.

Doing business anywhere

Aiken County will begin construction of a fiber optic network that will change the face of business and education in this rural area, located an hour from the state capital of Columbia and 30 minutes from Augusta, Ga. The network, which has been approved for $1.4 million in funding from the state's tobacco settlement, will provide high-speed IP access to educational facilities, distance learning for employee training and better access to educational resources around the state through local campuses. Because of the innovative project, industry can locate in Aiken County and still obtain high-quality, cost-effective telecommunications services. Government agencies will also be able to more easily use high-speed data transfer between offices.

The fiber optics network will provide a "backbone" for industry and education in Aiken County. And it will connect this rural area with the economic, educational and informational centers that surround it.

How important is that?

It allows businesses to locate in a lower-cost rural area, and still remain connected to the world outside. Costs remain low, communications steady.

Phasing in

The installation of a fiber optics network in Aiken County will proceed in phases. South Carolina Electric and Gas' SCANA Communications, one of South Carolina's largest utility companies and the carrier for this project, suggests that the entire effort could be completed in three phases.

The first phase will require installation of a high-speed SONET or Ethernet metro ring, with locations at eight "priority sites" around the community. These sites will include educational facilities, a hospital and two government buildings. This ring is on track to be completed before March 2004.

The second phase of construction will involve the installation of "dark fiber" to industrial parks, allowing access for most of the local businesses. As they move into the area, individual companies can be connected to the system.

The county estimates that the system will require about 100 miles of fiber optics links.

Phase Three of construction will involve connecting the Aiken metro ring to a larger network, allowing local business access to additional resources located in larger metro areas of the state, such as Columbia or Charleston.

Rural high tech

Fiber optics networks make business work in rural America. Videoconferencing can be done more efficiently, data can be sent at a much more rapid pace and employee training and education can be conducted without travel costs.

Rural locations are attracting more and more high-tech businesses that recognize the advantages of escaping the congested larger metro areas.

Locations like Aiken offer a lower cost-of-living and reduced stress for employees. And Team SC recognizes that these advantages are worth the investment.

Running a fiber optics network in Aiken County should potentially more than pay for itself in terms of attracting new companies to the area.

Teaming up effectively

Team SC is making the rural fiber optics network attractive to business through the partnership of government and utilities. The cooperative effort includes energy specialists, financing personnel, a technical college system that provides no-cost employee training, transportation and distribution specialists, and local economic developers.

The team approach allows the state to cover most every base that businesses might need, thus providing a comprehensive and competitive package for prospective industries to locate in rural South Carolina.

It's working in places like Aiken County. And, with this new fiber optics network, it won't be long before companies sit up and take notice.