Dragonfly Internet CEO Shares Journey from FWA to Fiber, Alabama Power Deal

Alabama-based Dragonfly Internet was created in 2023 when ITC Holding Company bought a local fixed wireless provider and opted to change the name. Since then, Dragonfly has been upgrading the fixed wireless equipment that the previous company had deployed and expanding to unserved and underserved areas using a mixture of fixed wireless and fiber. “Our preference is to use fiber where we can,” CEO David Hartin said. “But there will be communities where fixed wireless will make a lot of sense to do. We will always be a hybrid.” One of the company’s next fiber builds will be in Brewton and East Brewton, Alabama—a project that was made feasible via a deal with Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company that serves a large part of the state. The deal came about because Dragonfly was “looking at ways to lower construction costs, and Alabama Power was looking for partnerships to monetize its fiber investment,” Hartin explained.