Electric co-op taps Ciena to bolster middle mile network in Virginia, North Carolina

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) is using Ciena tech to build middle mile backbone scalable from 100 Gigabit to 400 Gigabit. MEC serves 31,000 member accounts across nine Virginia counties and five North Carolina counties. It delivers broadband in its service territory through its subsidiary EMPOWER Broadband. Specifically, the co-op is leveraging Ciena’s 8114 Coherent Aggregation Router and 5160 Service Aggregation Switch for the middle mile network. A Ciena spokesperson said MEC’s deployment is currently in progress and expects to complete the work in 2025. MEC is also using Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller to gain visibility into the network. Rural electric co-ops are a rapidly growing cohort of broadband providers, but a number of states have roadblocks that make it difficult for utilities and municipalities to offer broadband. According to MEC’s website, it provides fiber through its subsidiary EMPOWER because Virginia state regulations do not allow electric co-ops to sell internet service, but do allow subsidiaries to do so.