Alcatel-Lucent is investing $100,000 in Chattanooga's campaign to lure entrepreneurs to the city with plans to use EPB's high-speed Internet links.
The technology company said today it will help tout the gigabit Internet speed offered by EPB by helping to support "The Gig PrizeTM," a Chattanooga-based initiative to foster the development of gigabit per second Internet applications and business ventures.
"Last year, Chattanooga became America's first and only city to complete a community-wide network capable of delivering up to 1 gigabit per second Internet speeds to every home and business in a 600 square mile area," Robert Vrij, president of Alcatel-Lucent's Americas Region, told the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce today during the annual "Spirit of Innovation" award. "We're proud to partner with Chattanooga as this extraordinary city establishes a groundbreaking model for demonstrating the direct linkage between investment in telecommunications infrastructure and economic growth."
The Gig PrizeTM is a competition in which students and entrepreneurs will create and test next generation Internet applications and launch businesses using Chattanooga's fast Internet.