Our Fiber Optic Network

Dalton Utilities installed a fiber optic network throughout Whitfield and Murray Counties in September 2000. This network is the backbone for the OptiLink™ family of services, which includes cable tv, telephone and high-speed internet. Additionally, it is used to monitor all Dalton Utilities' facilities in the city and throughout Whitfield and Murray counties. It also provides fast and reliable online communications to the Utility and its customers, as well as local government and educational facilities - nationally and internationally as well as state-wide. Industrial customers began accessing the network in October 2000.

Now under the name OptiLink™, the network is set to deliver state-of-the-art high-speed internet, telephone and home entertainment services to all of our customers both residential and commercial.

	CONNECTION SPEED COMPARISON
	.056 mbps	.768 mbps	1.0 mbps	1.544 mbps	45 mbps	All speeds up to 10,000 mbps
Dial Up Modem
DSL
Cable Modem
T1
*T3
**Dalton Utilities Fiber Optics
	1 mbps = 1 megabit per second = 1000 kilobits per second (kbps) *  Dalton Utilities is the only local provider for T3 lines. ** Custom fiber optics packages available to suit individual customer needs.

Dalton Utilities Fiber-Optics Network Facts:

• A 100% fiber-based system means there are no switches or equipment which can malfunction or fail.
• 400+ miles of 72- and 120-count fiber installed throughout Dalton and Whitfield, Murray and Catoosa Counties.
• State-of-the art Control Center in which all Utility operations can be monitored and operated using the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. Benefits include increased reliability of services, rapid response to outages/problems and the ability to pinpoint potential problems before they occur.
• ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) data transmission for faster and more reliable transfer of data. ATM data transfers are not constrained by size as are other transfer modes.
• Data speeds of up to 2.5 Gb per second (Gbps).
• Other services, including application service hosting, high-speed internet, web page hosting, e-mail services, server hosting and point-to-point connectivity.
• System flexibility: Packages are designed for the specific needs of the customer.
• Redundancy: Customers can opt for a redundant fiber feed to their facility to further decrease the incidence of downtime.
• Scalability: Customers can request temporary bandwidth increases. The Utility automatically configures the fiber network to accommodate the request. When the increased bandwidth is no longer needed, the system returns to its usual levels. The customer is charged only for the actual time the additional bandwidth is used.