Broadband company finishes $6.5 million upgrade to Miss-Lou network, makes way for 1 Gigabit service for residents, businesses

Published 9:55 am Friday, November 4, 2022

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As of Nov. 22, Natchez residents will have the opportunity to receive internet service with speeds up to 1 Gigabit for residential and small to medium-sized business.

Officials with Sparklight say that they have recently completed a $6.5 million upgrade to its robust, fiber-rich network in Natchez and Vidalia.

As a result of this upgrade, Sparklight will begin the high-speed internet service beginning on Nov. 22, 2022.

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“We have been a proud part of the Natchez and Vidalia communities for more than 24 years and this latest investment illustrates our commitment to not only bringing fast and reliable internet to Natchez and Vidalia residents and businesses, but outstanding local service by Sparklight associates who live and work in these neighboring communities,” said John Hilbert, Sparklight’s Natchez and Vidalia General Manager. “This infrastructure upgrade enables us to meet the evolving digital needs of our customers while delivering a high-value service and a quality customer experience.”

Hilbert says Gigabit speeds will allow for faster downloads and uploads, enhanced streaming and gaming and uninterrupted connections in multi-device homes.

With investments of nearly $950 million over the past three years across its footprint, the company is laying the groundwork to launch speeds as fast as 10 Gigabits (10G) and beyond. Delivering speed 10 times faster than today’s networks, 10G will transform the customer experience, creating new possibilities for smart cities, connected homes, virtual and augmented reality and business.

“Demands on bandwidth are greater than ever before in homes today. Working from home, online learning and multiple video streams mean our customers need access to superior internet service. Sparklight is proud to meet that need with speeds up to 1 Gigabit and reliability customers can depend on,” Hilbert said.

Sparklight Business offers a wide range of customizable services, including high-speed internet plans ranging from 25 Mbps to 1 Gigabit; dedicated fiber internet and ethernet connections offering speeds and bandwidth up to 100 Gbps; managed services (Managed Wi-Fi, Managed Router, Managed Network Security); and business phone services including landlines, hosted voice and voice trunking.

PC Magazine recently ranked Sparklight on the list of the top 10 Fastest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the nation for the second consecutive year. The leader for rigorous, labs-based comparative reviews of internet products, PC Magazine tested ISPs across the country based on upload and download speeds via PCMag Speedtest from June 1, 2021, to June 7, 2022.  Earlier this year, Sparklight was named among the top 10 on PC Magazine’s Best Gaming ISPs list for 2022.