AT&T Alabama President Fred McCallum, left, and Cullman City Council member Jenny Folsom ink an agreement designating each of Cullman's industrial parks as "AT&T Fiber Ready" Monday at the Festhalle Market Platz.

As of today, all of Cullman’s industrial parks will be serviced by a high-speed fiberoptic internet backbone, AT&T revealed at a midday press conference.

The announcement marks an agreement between AT&T and city and county government, and has the practical effect of allowing economic recruiters to market sites at local industrial parks as “AT&T Fiber Ready.”

The “fiber ready” designation is an AT&T branding creation intended to assure prospective industrial tenants that Cullman’s industrial infrastructure is technologically robust; capable of transmitting high-bandwidth communications from both existing and future industrial sites.

To remain competitive in the economic recruitment race, local industrial boards and municipalities must be able to demonstrate that their data infrastructure is on par with other infrastructural offerings like roads, water and power, said Cullman Economic Development Director Peggy Smith.

“What it does is just highlights places around the state where we have fiber in place, at industrial parks, that is ready and available for companies who may come here; who want to come to Cullman to locate,” added AT&T Alabama President Fred McCallum. “It lets them know that we’ve got the facilities here, right now, ready for their use.”

AT&T officials did not provide details regarding the fiber service’s data-handling capabilities. Cullman information technology staff said fiber optic service is capable of handling massive amounts of data, and that pricing and metering are more likely to be its primary limiting factors than its ability to transmit information.

Cullman Economic Development Assistant Director Dale Greer said the designation is already providing his office with a powerful new recruitment tool. 

“It’s one more thing that we’re able to present to potential businesses, as well as to the ones who have already located here,” said Greer. “It shows them that our industrial parks have the backbone to accommodate their data needs, and that had become a point of major significance for so many businesses. 

“It’s good for recruitment, but it’s important to note that it’s just as good for our existing industries. This kind of capability opens a lot of doors.”

The agreement with AT&T is non-binding and is not exclusive, and allows competing communications companies to enter the local market and upgrade their own services, Greer added. All the investment in the fiberoptic network has been made by AT&T, with none of the costs falling to local municipalities or to Cullman County. 

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.