G4S Technology selected as an integration partner by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to design and construct MassBroadband 123, a fiber-optic network that will bridge the technology gap in rural Massachusetts

G4S Technology continues to have a major presence in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through this network that will support long-term economic growth, improve education and healthcare and greatly strengthen public safety

MassBroadband123, which is being primarily funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), will help close the digital divide in Massachusetts by bringing the benefits of broadband to these mostly rural, underserved communities. The network will help to solidify the area’s economic strength by attracting new businesses. It will also increase the state’s educational reach by connecting regional institutions from kindergartens to libraries to community colleges and universities. Healthcare will be streamlined and improved with the addition of broadband, providing area clinics and hospitals the ability to instantly share information with each other and national healthcare registries. The network will provide key upgrades for public safety agencies. Once completed, MassBroadband 123 will provide service significantly faster than what is currently available; a huge improvement for first responders, law enforcement and citizens in need. The network will also benefit businesses and residents by providing new access to competitively priced, world-class, broadband services.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute is a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), the state’s technology economic development agency. MTC has been successfully managing complex public/private programs over the past 28 years, and has greatly aided and influenced economic development. G4S Technology previously worked with the MBI team as the prime systems integrator on the I-91 fiber deployment project that began in 2008. G4S Technology will design, permit and construct the MassBroadband 123 project, which includes over 1,000 miles of newly constructed aerial, buried and underground fiber optic cable, with connections to 24 points of interconnection (POIs) and approximately 1,400 customer anchor institutions (CAIs) at 1,000 unique sites. Additionally the network will utilize 300 miles of dark fiber through MTC executed Indefeasible Right of Use (IRUs) contracts.

“The MBI is excited to partner with G4S Technology to bring affordable, broadband access that will greatly benefit the residents and businesses of western and north central Massachusetts,” said Judith Dumont, Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. “G4S Technology’s expertise in successfully designing and building broadband networks will help us complete the MassBroadband 123 network and meet our mission to connect the unconnected.”

“The company feels a strong tie to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has maintained offices there since 2008,” said Bob Sommerfeld, President of G4S Technology. “We will continue to partner with important institutions like MTC with their mission to bridge the broadband services gap. We hope to provide new jobs for local contractors