ATLANTA – Southern Telecom, a subsidiary of Southern Company, today announced an expansion of its strategic partnership with Tower Cloud, Inc., that will increase the telecommunications services provider’s Ethernet capacity and enhance customer services. Through the agreement, Southern Telecom is leasing additional dark fiber to Tower Cloud, a company specializing in wireless backhaul solutions. Tower Cloud will use the fiber for high-capacity, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) inter-city connections between Atlanta, Macon, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla.

“Dark fiber remains the preferred technology to meet increasing network demands,” said Southern Telecom Business Development Manager Leif R. Ericson. “Southern Telecom is pleased to help Tower Cloud enhance its customer experience through this strategic partnership.”

With the expansion, Tower Cloud now provides a continuous fiber network from Atlanta to Jacksonville. The additional fiber provides low-latency – or near real-time – transport offering flexible and expandable connections between two large telecom hotels in Atlanta and Jacksonville and a wireless provider’s point of presence (PoP) in Macon.

“We have worked with Southern Telecom since the establishment of our south Georgia network two years ago,” said Ronald Mudry, CEO of Tower Cloud. “Southern Telecom is an exceptional partner that demonstrates professionalism and flexibility.”

About Southern Telecom

Southern Telecom is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company that provides long-haul and metropolitan dark fiber connecting Atlanta with other smaller cities throughout the Southeast. The company also provides network elements such as rights of way, dark fiber, conduit, co-location and other related maintenance services. Southern Telecom is certified in Alabama, Florida and Georgia and also at the federal level. For more information about Southern Telecom, please call (404) 506-5120 or visit www.southern-telecom.com.    

About Tower Cloud

Tower Cloud, Inc. is the southeastern United States’ leading provider of wireless backhaul network services. Tower Cloud provides its customers the highest quality network experience, enabling current bandwidth intensive applications and the scalability to meet long-term capacity demands. The company's Generation Independent Network™ delivers future-proof agility, predictability and reliability that satisfies wholesale, enterprise and wireless carrier customers need for ever-increasing network supply. Tower Cloud's fiber-focused network supports the data tsunami faced by wireless carriers, and supports the on-time delivery of mission critical, bandwidth intensive applications such as telemedicine and enterprise video on demand. Tower Cloud presently operates networks throughout Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, serving major metro and rural markets with equal attention to speed and scalability. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla. For more information visit www.towercloud.com.

About Southern Company

With 4.4 million customers and nearly 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. A leading U.S. producer of clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for energy innovation, excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are below the national average. Southern Company and its subsidiaries are leading the nation’s nuclear renaissance through the construction of the first new nuclear units to be built in a generation of Americans and are demonstrating their commitment to energy innovation through the development of a state-of-the-art coal gasification plant. Southern Company has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer and listed by DiversityInc as a top company for Blacks. The company received the 2012 Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its leadership in new nuclear development, was named Electric Light & Power magazine's Utility of the Year for 2012 and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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