Hamilton, Ohio -  The City of Hamilton and CenterGrid have entered into an agreement to utilize Hamilton's fiber optic network to provide internet/data transport services to local businesses.  CenterGrid is a Hamilton-based hosting company engaged in providing, among other services, internet access, managed hosting, and colocation.

The agreement is a five-year pilot program in which CenterGrid will provide internet services utilizing Hamilton's existing infrastructure. The fiber optic network was primarily installed for the purpose of supporting Hamilton Utilities operations but has significantly more capacity available. The City of Hamilton has been investigating how to use the fiber optic network for economic development purposes. The partnership with CenterGrid is a result of these efforts.

Representatives from the CenterGrid and City of Hamilton teams.

"The City of Hamilton is proud to partner with CenterGrid in helping to deliver state of the art fiber optic services to our customers," said Doug Childs, Director of Public Utilities. "The City and CenterGrid worked closely together to develop a common, disciplined and well laid out business case.  I believe this partnership will encourage economic growth and development within the City for many years to come. "          

CenterGrid President Tim Campbell commented, "This initiative is a new beginning for Hamilton Fiber.  Using the high-speed 'fiber grid' to connect its business community with our Hamilton data center, we can now deliver next generation computing solutions at previously unheard of cost.  This service will put Hamilton, Ohio on the cyber map with other Google "fiber-hoods" like Atlanta, Austin, Salt Lake City, Kansas City."

The initial collaboration between CenterGrid and Hamilton, which began in 2014, resulted in high-speed internet service at The Hamilton Mill, Hamilton's business incubator. "We are extremely appreciative of the strategic partnership between CenterGrid, the City of Hamilton, and The Hamilton Mill," stated Chris Lawson, Executive Director of The Hamilton Mill. "As the initial pilot site, CenterGrid's service has resulted in The Mill receiving network connectivity that is better than 83% of internet connections throughout the US - that is huge. For the types of companies that we are attracting this level of connectivity is imperative for them to be successful." 

In addition to providing high-speed internet, the fiber will also provide businesses access to an expanded list of hosting, network and cloud-computing services. Specifically, companies on the network can more quickly and effortlessly perform such tasks as:

• Uploading and downloading large data files and images
• Supporting VoIP & Videoconferencing with suppliers, business partners and customers
• Sharing large files with employees or customers in other locations
• Backing up data remotely in the cloud at one or multiple locations
• Uploading edits to company websites

The price of the service will be relative to business requirements and will be highly economical, compared to local competitors.

"We've wanted a better high-speed internet option for quite some time. Now having something locally provided by the City of Hamilton and CenterGrid makes the idea that much more appealing. This high-speed circuit will allow us to transform our IT infrastructure and deliver value to our business," said Jon Corrado, IT Director at Tedia.

Hamilton's fiber optic network is a 60 mile loop that covers the majority of the business corridors throughout the City. The fiber optic network's ring topology provides important distribution network redundancy and provides overall higher reliability and improved service levels for customers connecting to the network.

For businesses interested in the service, please contact Terri Hemmer at CenterGrid at (513) 642-0008. www.centergrid.com