In early 2016, the city of Montgomery and Montgomery County, announced that they were entering into a unique partnership with the State and the Air Force to create Alabama’s first Internet Exchange.

The collaboration developed a neutral physical location where Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can meet to exchange traffic, rather than routing data 100 or more miles away to Birmingham or Atlanta. The Montgomery Internet Exchange (MIX), has already simplified operations and cut costs for ISPs doing business in Montgomery and attracted interest from new providers. For a relatively small monthly investment, the partners are already seeing results.

Montgomery: The Heart Of Alabama

Montgomery will forever be known as the Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement - the town where Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a bus for a white passenger. Rich in history, the city is also the capital of Alabama, the Montgomery County seat, and home to approximately 206,000.

In the past, agriculture played a large role in the community's economy, but now healthcare, government, and manufacturing employ a large sector of the population. A Hyundai plant, opened in 2002 added over 3,000 new manufacturing jobs to Montgomery's economy. As technology increasingly influences the economy, these sectors need access to fast, affordable, reliable connectivity.

Alabama State University, Troy University, and Auburn University at Montgomery all serve the community and need high-quality connectivity for students and staff. A number of private colleges, including Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, and several other facilities, including two-year and technical colleges offer ample choices for students pursuing higher education.

The Problem Of The Future

Mayor Todd Strange has for several years expressed concern about the city losing ground as competing communities with better connectivity outpace Montgomery. Unlike Chattanooga, the city does not have its own municipal electric utility, which facilitates the deployment and operation of a municipal fiber network. Community leaders have known for some time they must consider the future and create an environment to encourage better connectivity and competition.