Tombigbee Fiber Enables First Responders to Deliver Lifesaving Services in Rural Mississippi With Free Wi-Fi Built on Calix SmartTown - Seite 2

Established in 2019 by member-owned cooperative Tombigbee Electric Power Association, Tombigbee Fiber swiftly recognized the pressing need for essential managed services in northern Mississippi. Leveraging their partnership with Calix, they pioneered utilizing managed services to transform their community. They were the first broadband service provider (BSP) to deploy SmartTown to their entire network footprint. They transformed the Friday night football experience at nine high school stadiums with SmartTown and now offer connectivity at all high school fields in the regions they serve. Ahead of the 2023 school year, they introduced Bark, a text-and-social media monitoring tool available as a managed service on the Calix Platform. Launched in just two weeks, Bark helps keep kids and families safe from the damaging effects of cyberbullying. Additionally, Tombigbee offers Calix home network security services and advanced content controls to every customer at no extra cost.

Thanks to these efforts, Tombigbee has earned an impressive Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS) of 91 in an industry where such scores are frequently in the single or negative digits.

“Tombigbee’s success stems from a unique service approach that has had a profound impact on Mantachie and every town they serve,” said Matt Fennell, mayor of Mantachie, Mississippi, and manager of fiber services at Tombigbee Fiber. “The Tombigbee team is focused on enhancing community life beyond just selling products. Instead of competing with for-profit companies indifferent to community welfare, we choose to invest directly in our community’s connectivity and wellbeing, making it not only safer but also a more desirable place to live.”

“Rural communities need BSPs who step up to do more than provide a connection, and in northern Mississippi, Tombigbee is expanding what they do for the community every day,” said Michael Weening, president and chief executive officer at Calix. “They started by providing ProtectIQ home network virus, malware, and phishing protection in all packages to ensure that every single customer, including vulnerable elderly and families with young children, can access safe internet experiences. Last year, they deployed SmartTown to provide access to safe Wi-Fi at 9 local football fields. Now, they are making the community safer by supporting lifesaving first responders.