Small broadband providers offer mobility services via 'Smart Towns'

You’ve probably heard of smart cities, where a lot of public infrastructure, such as traffic lights, is connected to the internet. But have you heard of smart towns? A few small broadband providers have banded together in a Smart Town Alliance to bring a form of community Wi-Fi to their rural communities, and they’re hoping to create a trend where many small broadband providers join their initiative. The members of the Smart Town Alliance give their broadband customers a way to access the internet via their mobile devices, outside of their homes. And if these subscribers happen to visit the footprint of other Smart Town Alliance members, the community Wi-Fi will work there, as well. The Smart Town Alliance was begun in the fall of 2024 by the vendor Calix to help small broadband providers offer community Wi-Fi as a value-add for their customers. Currently, there are a handful of service providers participating in the Smart Town Alliance, including SC Telecom (KS), Jade Communications (CO), French Broad EMC (NC), and Tombigbee Fiber (MS).