An open house at Callaway Electric Cooperative next week will celebrate an opportunity for customers.
Callabyte is a broadband, high-speed internet service bringing a 100-percent fiber-optics network into subscribing homes and businesses, according to a Callaway Electric Cooperative press release.
The Callabyte open house will be 1-6 p.m. Tuesday. Ambassadors from the Callaway County Chamber of Commerce will kick off the event with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. The event will be at Callaway Electric, just off Route H in southwest Fulton.
At the open house, interested individuals will be able to try the gigabit broadband and video service onsite, and a one-day only special on the installation fee also will be offered. Call Callaway Electric Cooperative for more information.
Callaway Electric Cooperative is constructing the fiber-optic network to improve the operation, control and efficiency of their electrical distribution system, according to the press release. Along the way, Callabyte is offering broadband to Callaway Electric members and other underserved areas of the surrounding communities.
That's good news for Callaway County, according to Tamara Fitzpatrick, executive director of the chamber.
"This is a great extension for Callaway Electric Co-op, having Callabyte adding additional broadband for rural communities," she said. "It always helps with economic development. Having broadband in the community will help underserved areas. It's always a huge win for the community."
The Callabyte project started in fall 2015 with a small pilot project of 50 homes. Now, there are more than 1,200 homes and businesses committed to the service, and more than half of those are installed and receiving fiber optic internet, the press release stated.
Along with broadband packages starting at speeds of 100 Mbps up to 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps), subscribers can receive high-definition video and crystal clear voice over internet protocol phone service. These packages are optional and not required.
Visit www.callabyte.com for more details.