HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C., Oct. 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As other fiber Internet providers pass over smaller metros in the race to bring fiber to big cities, Ting, a division of Tucows Inc. (NASDAQ:TCX) (TSX:TC), steps in to ensure cities and towns of all sizes can benefit.
Ting is announcing its intent to make Holly Springs, NC the next town to get symmetrical gigabit (1,000 Mbps download and upload speed) "crazy fast fiber Internet." Holly Springs will join Charlottesville, VA and Westminster, MD where Ting Internet is already available. Demand assessment will begin in Holly Springs in the last quarter of 2015. That demand will guide construction, which could then begin as soon as the first half of 2016.
In the meantime, Holly Springs residents can express interest in Ting Internet and sign up for updates at ting.com/hollysprings.
Holly Springs is an organized community that planned ahead to get fiber Internet access for its tech-savvy citizens; a partial fiber network already exists in the town. Also, Holly Springs has promised to make it easier for Ting to get to work by easing some of the red tape around construction and other permits that can otherwise slow things down.
"We're very happy that Ting chose Holly Springs as the next place to bring crazy fast fiber Internet. In the past 25 years, Holly Springs has grown over 2,600%. Young families with school-aged children are driving that growth. World-class Internet access will help us continue our forward progress and inspire the next generation of great ideas," said Mayor Dick Sears.
"The need for faster, more reliable Internet access across the US has been recognized by the highest levels of government," said Tucows CEO Elliot Noss. "The problem of slow, expensive and unreliable Internet access is national but agreements like the one reached with Holly Springs further demonstrate that the solution is local."
"While Google Fiber and other providers race to get started in big cities, we're finding that there's also a lot of interest from, and opportunity in, smaller cities and towns that might otherwise get passed over," Noss said.
Ting disrupted the mobile industry with its launch in 2012 offering shockingly fair pricing, usable interfaces and no-hold, no-transfer customer support. Ting received the top honor in Consumer Reports annual cell phone service ratings survey for 2014.
"If there's one industry that needs Ting perhaps even more than mobile, it's cable and Internet access," said Noss. "For too long, people and businesses have dealt with middling speeds, contracts and caps. We plan to bring world-class Internet to more towns and cities all over the US."
About Tucows
Tucows is a provider of network access, domain names and other Internet services. Ting delivers mobile phone service and fixed Internet access with outstanding customer support. OpenSRS manages over fourteen million domain names and other services through a reseller network of over 13,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover makes it easy for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email. More information can be found on the Tucows website.
About Holly Springs
Located in southwest Wake County, Holly Springs, NC has grown to become one of the most attractive communities in the Research Triangle region. Home to small businesses and multinational firms alike, the town's population has seen sharp growth over the past 20 years, approaching 30,000 residents. In 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Holly Springs as the best place in NC to raise kids.