Bridging America's Healthcare Digital Divide
CHARLOTTE, N.C. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Conterra Ultra Broadband, LLC ("Conterra"), a national broadband services company specializing in bringing unique bandwidth solutions to complex telecommunications projects in rural areas, has been awarded a multi-year contract to provide fiber-quality, high-speed wide area network services to Presbyterian Healthcare Services of Albuquerque, NM.
The broadband network design uses multiple transport media including fiber optic and FCC-licensed microwave radio connections which will augment and enhance Presbyterian's current wide area telecom network throughout hundreds of miles of rural New Mexico. The telecommunication transport services provided by Conterra are supported financially through the Rural Health Care Pilot Program initiated by the federal government to facilitate the creation of a national broadband network dedicated to health care, connecting public and private health care providers in rural and urban locations.
Presbyterian Healthcare Services is New Mexico's only private, not-for-profit healthcare system and its largest provider of care. Presbyterian was founded in New Mexico in 1908, and offers eight hospitals in seven communities, a statewide health plan and a growing multi-specialty medical group. Presbyterian is the second largest private employer in New Mexico with more than 9,000 respected employees and growing.
The five hospitals and three clinics involved in the project will be connected to the Presbyterian Data Center in Albuquerque via a high-speed, wide area network provided and maintained by Conterra. The network will transport electronic medical records, electronic imaging as well as provide high-speed transport for new telemedicine opportunities.
Conterra's managed broadband network will provide an alternate high-speed IP-based Ethernet network for Presbyterian Healthcare Services, for the physical redundancy of network hardware and services. Conterra monitors, manages and supports its networks on a 24x7x365 basis and guarantees industry leading network performance and reliability.
"Conterra is proud to be able to participate in the Rural Health Care Pilot Program and to provide high-quality broadband services for Presbyterian Healthcare Services", commented Van E. Snowdon, Conterra's Executive Vice President of Business Development. "The Federal Communications Commission has highlighted telemedicine as one of the top priorities in its national broadband plan. We believe that Conterra's unique ability to provide customized hybrid optical fiber and FCC licensed radio networks in rural and underserved areas of America, where there are few, if any, existing high-speed broadband telecommunication solutions, will lead to other healthcare network opportunities," added Mr. Snowdon.
Construction of this new network is expected to begin this summer, with service initiation expected in late 2011.
About Conterra Ultra Broadband, LLC
Conterra Ultra Broadband, LLC, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is a national provider of facilities-based broadband services for health care, schools, wireless carriers, municipalities and select enterprises that require bandwidth intensive, carrier-grade data, video and voice transport services primarily in outer suburban and rural markets. Conterra and its subsidiaries currently provide these services to over 1,400 entities in 20 states. For more information about Conterra, visit www.conterra.com or call: 800-936-1803.
SOURCE Conterra Ultra Broadband LLC