FRANKLIN, NC – Today, BalsamWest FiberNET announced an agreement with MCI to connect two major Internet points of presence to the BalsamWest network. By combining their demand for service, BalsamWest founders, Drake Enterprises Ltd and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have obtained redundant and geographically diverse Internet connectivity from network operation centers in Atlanta and Washington, DC. The MCI connections will provide more access to the region at a fraction of the current cost.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks responded to the MCI agreement saying, “This agreement with MCI proves the network we are building is stable and providing the best access for our region. This represents to the western North Carolina region that the Balsam West FiberNET collaborative effort, of which we are proud to be a member, is providing the best resources, support and strength for economic prosperity, promoting health and education, cultural development, and in a manner that respects our natural resources.”

“The MCI network is the largest IP backbone in the world, this level of connectivity and value puts the BalsamWest service area on a par with metropolitan areas of the State,” said John A. Short of BalsamWest FiberNET. “The customers served by BalsamWest will now have the advantage of MCI’s Internet backbone using the latest transmission technology available, including: Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM), which increases network capacity exponentially; and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), providing high-speed switching through a router-based IP network.”

The BalsamWest fiber-optic network will provide transport services to interconnection points in Sylva and Franklin. Additional connection points will be established as the network ring progresses through the region. Current plans include interconnection points in Andrews, Bryson City, Cherokee, Dillsboro, Hayesville, Murphy, Robbinsville and Snowbird among others. BalsamWest will also help pool the demand of interested transport providers and local ISPs to obtain sorely needed redundancy at competitive wholesale rates.

Director of Internet Services for Drake Enterprises David Hubbs said, “Several years ago, it became mission critical for our business to have redundant Internet service. We needed to overcome the telecommunications outages experienced by our region. At one time we purchased redundant service, but the reality was that both connections were delivered locally over the same physical infrastructure. Unless we could make the connections diverse geographically, it didn’t really do us any good have multiple connections. There was no available fiber for us to lease for this purpose and we realized the only way we could achieve this necessity was to build the infrastructure ourselves. This is one of the primary reasons we became involved in the BalsamWest project. It is also one of the great things BalsamWest is doing for the region. As a direct result of our participation in BalsamWest and the MCI agreement, we are able to improve reliability while also lowering costs for the schools we serve by more than 63 percent.”

Leonard Winchester, Technology Administrator for Swain County Schools, said "We are very pleased with the progress of BalsamWest.” “It has already helped us to realize a significant savings in our Internet access and will allow us to provide more enrichment to the children to learn in our schools."

Southwestern Community College President, Dr. Cecil Groves, said "As BalsamWest FiberNet’s Community Interest Partner we are excited to see years of collaborative effort begin to payoff for the people of western North Carolina. This linkage with MCI will fuel BalsamWest’s world-class telecommunications infrastructure—putting us on the map as a major player in the Global economy.”