Etex Communications: Providing Long-Term, Top-Quality Telecommunications for Palestine

Etex Communications (Etex), a company serving Palestine, provides state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure for East Texas. Through fiber optics technology, Etex provides reliable internet to businesses within Palestine’s service area.

With support from the City of Palestine and Palestine Economic Development Corporation (PEDC), Etex moved into the city in 2020. Matt Faggione, Director of Business Operations at Etex Communications, shares, “The city of Palestine and Anderson County did a study and invited providers to Palestine. We were in attendance at that meeting and were subsequently asked for a proposal of what we would need to bring Etex’s fiber to Palestine. We came up with a partnership where they invested a percentage and we invested a percentage. From early 2020 to now, we serve over 170 businesses in Palestine; we connect to school campuses, universities, business complexes, larger industries, small businesses, and community accounts.”

Buried Fiber Optic Deployment: E-Tex Provides Long-Lasting Infrastructure

When the city of Palestine and PEDC considered telecommunications providers, Etex’s CEO and executive team came to Palestine in person to meet the organizations. Because of the company’s deployment methods, Palestine was particularly interested in E-tex. Faggione states, “We don't offer any aerial fiber optic. Everything we do is buried in the ground. Because of the local weather and the terrain, the city was interested in our service. Aerial fiber is a lot more susceptible to damage. Say a tornado comes through a tree or there's an accident that hits a power pole-- there are many scenarios where aerial fiber is much more likely to be damaged. Whereas if you bury the fiber, it’s a lot less susceptible to damage.”

Faggione also notes that the drilling methods and standards at Etex reduce the margin for error even further. “At Etex, we use directional or horizontal drilling. Meaning, we can drill under the streets and other utilities. If a water pipe is four feet deep, we can drill down six or eight feet, go underneath it, and come up into another location. The only accident we're susceptible to is the case of somebody digging and hitting a fiber, but we even try to avoid this possibility. At ETEX, we drill our fiber as deep as possible to avoid existing utilities and future construction.”

In addition to durability, Faggione argues that buried fiber deployment is much more cost-effective; over time, Palestine’s buried fiber optic network is likely to last with minimal maintenance. “It costs more to do it upfront, but once the fiber is in the ground, you can serve a community for a long time.” By collaborating with Etex Communications, PEDC invested in a reliable, lasting structure that will serve Palestine for many years.

Etex Provides the Infrastructure Businesses and Communities Need to Thrive

While Palestine and other areas in East Texas offer abundant opportunities for communities and businesses, the presence of telecommunications infrastructure is key to continued growth. Faggione notes that this mission relies on the support of organizations like PEDC.  “At Etex, we take great pride in providing broadband to rural and Palestine-sized communities, and we’ve been successful. We’ve connected a lot more businesses than we had originally projected. It’s important to have people at the local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that rural areas have adequate broadband. The support from the City of Palestine and Palestine EDC has been crucial.”

With companies like Etex Communications providing top-quality services, Palestine has everything needed for business expansion. Combined with excellent port and rail access, there are many reasons why businesses choose Palestine. To learn more about Palestine’s location advantages or how PEDC helps identify industrial needs, click here.