IMPERIUM DATA IN PRACTICE | Case Study
THE QUESTION EVERY RURAL OPERATOR CARRIES INTO THIS DECISION
Will a partner size the core for my network, or for the Tier 1 backbone in their reference architecture? Franklin Telephone had heard the pitch before: "Here's what the Tier 1 carriers run. It'll work for you too." A core designed for a national backbone brings cost and complexity a community ISP has no use for. Franklin answered the question by choosing a partner that started from its own network and budget.
THE CHALLENGE
Franklin Telephone Company is an independent telephone company and ISP covering parts of 27 counties, one of the largest rural service footprints in Mississippi. For the communities it serves, broadband is critical infrastructure. Franklin's legacy core switching platform had reached the end of its useful life and could no longer keep up with fiber-to-the-home bandwidth demand.
The harder problem was finding the right replacement. The proposals Franklin received were built around carrier-class architectures designed for Tier 1 deployments, with product lines and pricing to match. Franklin needed a partner who understood the economics and engineering of a Tier 3 independent operator.
| Before Imperium Data | After Imperium Data |
|---|---|
| Legacy core unable to keep up with fiber-to-the-home bandwidth demand | Complete core migration to Arista Networks, a fit for service provider operations |
| Proposals built on carrier-class designs meant for Tier 1 deployments | Right-sized design with no unnecessary product lines |
| No partner with hands-on Tier 2, 3, and 4 broadband operator experience | Engineers with rural broadband backgrounds on the project from design through cutover |
| Budget constraints making a full overhaul feel out of reach | Delivered on budget, with savings that funded additional infrastructure projects |
| Risk of a prolonged migration disrupting service across 27 counties | Full migration completed in 90 days |
THE APPROACH
Imperium Data's leadership came up in rural broadband. Before founding the company in 2018, they spent years working exclusively with Tier 2, 3, and 4 operators building fiber-to-the-home networks across rural America. That background shapes every independent operator engagement. (It is also the argument behind why rural ISPs need purpose-built core routing, not enterprise hand-me-downs.)
For Franklin Telephone, the brief was to recommend only what the network required and price it sharply.
IN THEIR WORDS
"Imperium Data has been a great partner. I have felt like Imperium has had Franklin Telephone's success be their goal since day 1. They have been there for us and quickly solved any problems in a very customer-focused way. They have given us everything we need and nothing we don't."
Steven Laiche, Network Operations Manager, Franklin Telephone Company
THE OUTCOME
Franklin Telephone's entire core moved to Arista Networks in a single migration. Competitive pricing on optics and ancillary gear left enough budget for Franklin to fund infrastructure projects that had been out of reach.
The relationship did not end at cutover. Imperium Data still turns around Franklin's quotes and optics orders quickly, and when questions come up, Franklin's team calls engineers who already know its network.
Rural broadband operators get the best results from partners who have worked inside their market. Before you sign a core refresh, ask a prospective partner to map every line item on the quote to a requirement in your network, and ask who on their team has built fiber networks for a Tier 2, 3, or 4 operator. If the answer starts with what a Tier 1 backbone runs, keep looking. For another independent-network example, see how Imperium Data rebuilt Holland BPW's municipal fiber core in three phases.
Many vendors and integrators start from reference architectures built for Tier 1 carrier backbones. Those designs bring product lines, licensing, and complexity that a Tier 2, 3, or 4 operator does not need. Franklin Telephone avoided this by working with a partner that started from its own network and budget.
It depends on the network, but Franklin Telephone's complete core migration to Arista Networks took 90 days from start to finish.
Yes, when the design is right-sized. Franklin Telephone's $1M core overhaul came in on budget, and competitive pricing on optics left headroom to fund additional infrastructure projects.
Hands-on experience with Tier 2, 3, and 4 operators, a quote where every line item maps to a network requirement, and direct access to the engineers who designed the plan. Imperium Data's leadership spent years building fiber-to-the-home networks for rural operators before founding the company in 2018.
Planning a core refresh? Imperium Data brings design authority, relentless execution, and real ownership to rural broadband and service-provider core infrastructure. Talk to our team about sizing your next upgrade.