MetroNet, the new high-speed data service, has lined up several major downtown tenants, officials said.
Switches are being installed this week in a number of downtown buildings, and service is expected to begin as soon as next month.
Kimberly D. O’Leary, MetroNet CEO and president, said the switches are being installed at UTC, the Maclellan Building, the Chattanooga Times/Free Press, the Krystal Building, the Tallan Building, the Republic Centre and Chattanooga Online's Virtual Building.
She also said that officials are looking at expanding MetroNet from downtown to the huge Enterprise South industrial park property at Tyner.
"Industry does require high bandwidth. It only makes sense to provide it there," she said.
Ms. O'Leary said a number of firms outside Chattanooga are in talks with her about relocating here because of MetroNet, which is connected to a supercomputer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
"Customers around the country are calling us. They very much want to come here because of the availability of MetroNet. Our goal is economic development, and that is already happening," she stated.
She said MetroNet was a main reason that the SimCenter agreed to move here from Mississippi and relocate into the Solar Energy Building on MLK Boulevard.
She said firms that may utilize the services of the non-profit firm include call centers, disaster recovery operations and video streamers.
Ms. O'Leary said the first aim was to get MetroNet working at UTC, then in a number of key downtown buildings.
Mrs. O'Leary came to Chattanooga from New Orleans when her husband, Dr. Brian O'Leary, joined UTC as a psychology professor, She had 19 years experience with Lucent Technologies.
She was first named to the MetroNet board and then asked to head it.