High-speed broadband connections and Internet service to the area’s underserved businesses and homes is coming with Lewes-based IT/Telecom delivery firm DelmarvaVoIP joining forces with the technology of high-speed broadband firm Broad Valley to offer expanded operations in Sussex County.
Under the new partnership between the two firms, a seven-mile fiber ring Internet backbone is being built by Broad Valley Micro Fiber Networks in the Georgetown area. The backbone will be used by DelmarvaVoIP to hook-up customers. The new partnership was officially launched Tuesday, November 10, at a ground breaking ceremony in Georgetown.
Broad Valley will operate the broadband network (referred to as a broadband “backbone”) and specializes in providing innovative, custom solutions to deliver new broadband services to rural and other underserved areas. DelmarvaVoIP will provide connections from telecommunications networks into homes or businesses (referred to as the “last mile”) using improved voice over IP technologies (VoIP) allowing telephone calls to be made over the Internet network.
Pete Aquino, Chairman, CEO of Broad Valley said, “Broad Valley, under the leadership of GM Dick Beville, is focused on extending broadband networks into underserved residential and business areas. This will provide important new synergy with DelmarvaVoIP’s demonstrated expertise in installing and maintaining home and business-based telephone services using Internet connections.”
Jack Berberian, CEO of DelmarvaVoIP said, “With DelmarvaVoIP’s long-standing commitment to bringing improved benefits of state-of-the-art Internet and IT communications services to residents and businesses alike, our new partnership on this project with the Broad Valley network will bring unparalleled telecommunications services to Sussex County.” In a joint statement, Aquino and Berberian said, “Sussex County is an ideal location for the synergies of our joint partnership to result in the same kind of advanced Internet services in local unserved underserved areas that typically are available in larger metropolitan areas. We are excited to work together on this project in Georgetown which should serve as a model for the rest of the county.”
Broad Valley began researching broadband issues in rural Delaware in mid-2013, participated in Sussex County Broadband Coalition meetings, and designed a hybrid Internet network solution to serve connectivity needs at all levels of the market, including business, consumer, educational, government, public utility, and enterprise sectors.
DelmarvaVoIP specializes in next-generation VoIP equipment which sends calls over the Internet. In addition to unlimited local and long-distance dialing, VoIP allows for flexibility in how and where telephones ring, provides forwarding and automatic roll-over to land lines, cell phones and pagers, provides call queuing so calls are never missed, gives businesses four-digit inter-office dialing for easy communication between remote offices, contains SMS Text and email notifications of voice mail, and includes built-in disaster recovery for communications.
During the ground breaking event Gov. Jack Markell, Sussex County officials, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and local supporters were in attendance.
Aquino said, “The fiber optics provides Georgetown with a much-needed edge in economic development and productivity.”
Markell said, “I am appreciative of Broad Valley’s partnership with Jack Berberian and Delmarva VoIP company. We think it is a great partnership. Thrilled to see this is going to be great for his business and more importantly for the businesses Delmarva VoIP serves. The project is an example of infrastructure investment with economic development in mind. The benefits will be seen for years to come.”
