Fiber project viewed as business tool for Charleston (WV)

The Charleston (WV) Urban Renewal Authority received an overview of how a $5-million fiber-optic loop project headed by Alpha Technology could be a game changer in attracting new business to downtown. The Putnam County-based technology service company plans to break ground by the end of June on a 30-mile underground fiber-optic loop through downtown Charleston, Kanawha City and South Charleston. The loop will connect back to the company’s global data center at the West Virginia Regional Technology Park in South Charleston. Alpha representatives Charlie Dennie, director of special projects and Nina Shell, director of sales, answered questions posed by board members and explained how the project’s cloud technology eliminates an extra step for new businesses looking to open shop in the city’s central business district.

“One of the advantages to the cloud model is that technology becomes more of an operational expense, rather than capital,” Shell said. “As businesses are looking to invest downtown, that takes out a big piece of the investment, to not have to lay a lot of that infrastructure.” Dennie said the project would especially appeal to data-heavy businesses that require large bandwidth requirements, such as insurance claims processing firms, banking institutions and health care companies. Virtual information could then be stored at the data center over the cloud. Board member and City Councilman Jack Harrison noted the need for faster broadband speeds in the Civic Center.