TRYON, NC / March 26, 2018 – In order to meet the growing demand for PANGAEA Internet’s “Speed of Light” internet service, the company has added James Green to its staff as Network Technician. James is a U.S. Army veteran and brings broad knowledge of network switches and routers as well as CAT 5/6 and fiber optic cabling. James was most recently a Network Technician for Charter Communications and previously worked for Asymmetric Warfare Group and General Dynamics. James lives in Landrum, SC and has an AAS degree in Computer Information Technologies and holds certificates in Cisco routing and switching.

In addition, the company announced that Ken Griffin was promoted from Network Engineer to Operations Director. Ken joined PANGAEA in 2015 and has more than 20 years of information technology support and management experience. Since joining the company, Ken has delivered excellent results in the areas of network design, network planning, installations and maintenance.

After more than 13 years, PANGAEA’s former Operations Director, Stu Davidson, retired at the end of 2017. Stu designed, operated and maintained PANGAEA’s network and had a great impact on the company’s success. Stu is currently working part time for PANGAEA as an independent contractor.

“The PANGAEA staff is the best I’ve ever worked with and is the key ingredient in our growth and outstanding customer service,” according to Ron Walters, PANGAEA Internet Executive Director.

PANGAEA Internet (pan-GEE-ah) is a non-profit provider of “Speed of Light” fiber optic internet service. Our network currently serves customers at more than 250 locations across Polk and Rutherford Counties, including public school districts, city and county governments, health care facilities, and local businesses. Visit us online at www.pangaea.us, or contact Executive Director Ron Walters at 828-859-3072.

TRYON, NC / November 8, 2016 – The recently completed PANGAEA Internet Public Wi-Fi deployment has far exceeded expectations in both coverage and usage. The systems, which provide free public Wi-Fi internet service via 57 access points in Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Saluda, Columbus, and Tryon, served nearly ten times the projected number of users in 2016.

The PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi project exceeded expectations in two ways.

First, PANGAEA built a prototype system in Tryon before applying for and receiving a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Efficiencies developed during the prototype phase enabled PANGAEA to design and build the original three systems under budget. Therefore an additional two markets were added to the project. Total project costs were about $60,000 and the Towns and PANGAEA contributed grant matching funds.

Second, Wi-Fi usage has far exceeded expectations. The original target was 50 daily users or 18,000 annual users. Since January 1, 2016, PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi has served 144,000 users. Since the project inception in 2015, 268,000 users have accessed the networks.

According to PANGAEA Internet Operations Director Stu Davidson, developing strong relationships within each community was essential to the success of the project. “Partnering with the schools, business owners, and municipal and county governments was extremely important,” said Davidson. “These relationships allowed PANGAEA to deploy access points at locations that would maximize signal coverage as well as promote the service.”

PANGAEA Internet (pan-GEE-ah) is a non-profit provider of “Speed of Light” fiber optic internet service. Our network currently serves customers at more than 200 locations across Polk and Rutherford Counties, including public school districts, city and county governments, health care facilities, and local businesses. Visit us online at www.pangaea.us, or contact Executive Director Ron Walters at 828-859-3072.

TRYON, NC / April 13, 2016 – As part of its continuing commitment to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life in our community, PANGAEA Internet (PANGAEA), the leading commercial provider of high-speed fiber optic internet service for Polk and Rutherford Counties, is preparing to expand its efforts to deliver Public Wi-Fi in the PANGAEA service area.

After a successful pilot project in downtown Tryon last year, a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) enabled PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi to expand to the downtown business districts of Chimney Rock Village, Lake Lure, and Saluda. This network expansion was completed on March 31^st with such efficiency that grant funds remained, allowing PANGAEA to extend Public Wi-Fi to downtown Columbus and Tryon’s Harmon Field. Work on those projects will begin this summer.

“We are pleased to bring PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi to Tryon, Chimney Rock Village, Lake Lure, Saluda and soon to downtown Columbus and Harmon Field,” said Ron Walters, Executive Director of PANGAEA Internet. “By coming in under budget on the initial network, we are able to extend the network to these additional locations.” Walters pointed out that there is no charge to use PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi in any of the areas where it is available.

“I am amazed by the performance and high usage of this network,” said Stu Davidson, PANGAEA’s Operations Director. “By carefully planning our equipment placement to maximize signal strength and coverage, we are able to serve large numbers of users very efficiently.”

PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi is made possible by a partnership between ARC, the Towns, and PANGAEA to purchase and deploy the equipment necessary to build the network. PANGAEA provides the ongoing Wi-Fi service as part of its nonprofit community focus. Currently, PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi averages over 2,500 users per week. The network is prepared to support increased usage as warmer weather brings an increase in tourism to the region.

Residents and visitors to these communities can access the network by simply selecting “PANGAEA Public Wi-Fi” from the Wi-Fi settings of their phone, tablet, or laptop. After selecting “continue,” users will be transferred to the Towns’ web page.

PANGAEA Internet (pan-GEE-ah) is a non-profit provider of “Speed of Light” fiber optic internet service. Our network currently serves customers at more than 150 locations across Polk and Rutherford Counties, including public school districts, city and county governments, health care facilities, and local businesses. Visit us online at www.pangaea.us, or contact Executive Director Ron Walters at 828-859-3072.