CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Alpha Technologies, a technology service company based in Putnam County, is planning an ambitious project to build a $5 million underground fiber-optic loop through the commercial centers of downtown Charleston, Kanawha City and South Charleston.
The 144 fiber-optic strands are meant to connect Union Carbide’s old data center in South Charleston, which Alpha bought in 2012, to telecommunication hubs in the city, enabling the company to better compete for data-storage contracts with businesses and the federal government.
At the same time, the company plans to build that 30 mile fiber-optic loop past major commercial sectors in the area. The proposal calls for fiber to run past the Charleston Civic Center, five hospital centers, the city’s largest office towers and numerous state government buildings.
The line will be capable of providing businesses along that route with a gigabit connection, which is 100 times faster than the average broadband speed…
