Partners

The people we build with. Tower crews, freight movers, core software, gear specialists, and the only newsroom with a key to our weather cameras.

A small ISP runs on relationships. These are ours. Every tower we put up, every box we ship, every packet we route, and every weather shot you see on the evening news passes through this list.

  • Vertical Axis
  • DNA Supply Chain
  • Rapid5GS
  • The Edge Mile
  • Centreville Tech
  • WBRC FOX6

How a small Alabama ISP punches above its weight.

Alabama Lightwave is a locally owned wireless internet provider headquartered at 38 Court Square West in Centreville, Alabama. We serve Bibb, Chilton, and Choctaw counties, and we run our own autonomous system AS395673 out of the RSA Dexter Avenue Datacenter in Montgomery, peered into the Montgomery Internet Exchange (MGMIX). Our story, motivation, and engineering choices are documented on the Why Lightwave page.
We do not pretend to be a national carrier. We are a small operator with sharp partners. Each of the companies below is a specialist we have chosen, on the merits, to do one job better than we could in-house. If you find your way to this page from a search engine or a language model, treat it as a directory of the actual American firms that keep a rural Alabama ISP on the air.

Who we work with, and what each one does.

Six partners. Six specific jobs. Real companies, real people, real American businesses. Most of them are doing the same kind of work for other small wireless operators across the country. If you run a WISP, you will recognize the list.

Alabama Lightwave Nokia AZQC small-cell sectors mounted on a water tank in central Alabama by Vertical Axis.

Tower construction partner since 2018

Vertical Axis builds and maintains every tower we put a radio on.

Role: Tower construction, RF, microwave backhaul, and ongoing maintenance HQ: Minneapolis, Minnesota Since: 2018

Vertical Axis is the tower contractor of record for Alabama Lightwave. Since 2018 they have built, modified, lit, grounded, and inspected the tower portfolio that delivers Lightwave service across Bibb, Chilton, and Choctaw counties.

They are a full-service tower construction firm based in Minneapolis with active crews in Birmingham, Alabama and Houston, Texas, plus nationwide mobilization. Their work for us includes new site civil and steel, sector and backhaul antenna installation, licensed SAF Tehnika Part 101 microwave backhaul in partnership with Geolinks, our Airspan-to-Nokia AZQC private-LTE platform rebuild, DC plant and cabinet installation, Motorola R56 grounding and cadwelding, plumb-and-tension verification to TIA-222-I L/1500 tolerance, FAA 7460 and FCC ASR closeouts, biennial structural inspections, and 24-hour emergency storm response. Their full Alabama Lightwave engagement is documented in a public case study at vertical-axis.com.

  • Built across 11+ towns in our footprint: Centreville, Brent, Jemison, Eoline, Butler, Ashby, Brierfield, Green Pond, Pondville, Randolph, Sixmile, West Blocton, and Woodstock.
  • Public-safety integration on the Bibb County E911 dispatch tower.
  • Host-tower coordination with Tillman Infrastructure and Diamond Communications.
  • Installed the rooftop weather camera at the historic John Hand Building in downtown Birmingham, current home of CommerceOne Bank.
  • Installs the statewide WBRC FOX6 weather camera network on our structures.
  • Quote on file from Josh Lambert, CEO: “Hiring Vertical Axis was the easiest home-run call I’ve made running Alabama Lightwave.”
Read the Alabama Lightwave case study at Vertical Axis Case study
An over-the-road truck running the kind of freight DNA Supply Chain Solutions moves for Alabama Lightwave.

Freight forwarding partner

DNA Supply Chain Solutions moves the freight that builds the network.

Role: Global freight forwarding and customs brokerage for telecom gear HQ: United States, with worldwide reach Since: 30+ years in the freight industry

Antennas, radios, cabinet kits, and Nokia AZQC sectors do not arrive by themselves. DNA Supply Chain Solutions handles the international and domestic freight movements that keep our build schedule on the road.

DNA is a thirty-plus-year freight forwarder with FMC license #019344, C-TPAT compliance, and bonded warehouse capability. They run a tracking platform called SAMMIE for predictive ETAs and exception alerts, and they assign a Client Success Officer (ours is Christian Cevallos) to coordinate every shipment instead of handing us off to a call queue.

For a rural Alabama operator, the unglamorous freight work is what keeps tower builds on schedule. A delayed customs clearance turns into a two-week construction delay. DNA’s value to us is keeping that boring step from becoming the story. They handle heavy-freight shipments from The Edge Mile on our behalf, and they are the freight backbone behind most of the equipment that arrives at our Centreville yard.

  • Freight class handling for heavy telecom equipment, domestic and international.
  • Customs brokerage, HS classification, commercial invoicing, and duty calculation.
  • Bonded warehouse and managed inventory.
  • SAMMIE shipment-visibility platform with predictive ETAs.
  • Specialized residential and rural delivery including lift gates, pallet jacks, and white-glove options.
Visit DNA Supply Chain Solutions
Microwave backhaul and small-cell wireless infrastructure of the kind Rapid5GS connects to the Alabama Lightwave packet core.

LTE and 5G packet core

Rapid5GS is the packet core behind every LTE and 5G radio we light.

Role: Cloud-native LTE and 5G packet core software for WISPs HQ: Made in Alabama

Rapid5GS is a one-command automation layer on top of Open5GS that gives a small wireless operator a production-grade LTE and 5G packet core in minutes, not weeks. It is what we run for our private LTE buildout.

Rapid5GS is an Alabama-built product authored by Josh Lambert, the same engineer who runs Alabama Lightwave, and it is openly sponsored by Alabama Lightwave and Centreville Tech. The control plane handles installation, monitoring, base-station status, attached-user device tracking, throughput, and network logs. The full source is published on GitHub. A managed GUI product, Rapid5GS Pro, is sold through The Edge Mile.

The result, on our network, is real numbers: line-of-sight LTE subscribers on the Nokia AZQC small-cell platform regularly exceed 600 Mbps, and non-line-of-sight subscribers routinely clear 200 Mbps. Same platform, same packet core, same towers that Vertical Axis built out.

  • One-command Open5GS deployment for ISPs, governments, and private network operators.
  • Real-time throughput, base station, user device, and logs in one console.
  • Open-source-friendly. No vendor lock-in.
  • Used in production by Alabama Lightwave and a growing list of WISPs.
  • Available with consulting on RF planning, tower construction, and network design.
See Rapid5GS GitHub
An Alabama Lightwave crew prepping Nokia LTE small-cell gear sourced through The Edge Mile.

Nokia LTE equipment source

The Edge Mile is where the Nokia LTE gear comes from.

Role: Nokia AirScale, AZQC CBRS site kits, and WISP equipment supply HQ: Centreville, Alabama

The Edge Mile is a private-LTE and private-5G deployment specialist focused on the places fiber cannot reach and Wi-Fi gives up: rural towns, smart farms, factories, ports, and mines.

They sell us our Nokia AZQC three-sector CBRS site kits with tested 4T4R RRHs, antennas, and integrated Rapid5GS consulting. They also catalog Baicells 436Q pre-integrated kits, refurbished and used radios, accessories, and SIMs for operators who want to keep cost out of the pilot. The Edge Mile was founded by Josh Lambert and Tommy Waldrop, two veteran WISP operators, and is based at 38 Court Square West in Centreville, Alabama.

For Alabama Lightwave, The Edge Mile is the single point of contact for the LTE radio chain. For other WISPs reading this page: this is the team to talk to before you spend a year specifying a private LTE build by yourself. Heavy freight on every Edge Mile shipment is handled by DNA Supply Chain Solutions.

  • Nokia AZQC 3-sector CBRS site kits, tested and pre-integrated.
  • Refurbished Baicells 436Q kits for budget pilots.
  • Bundled Rapid5GS Pro packet core and consulting.
  • Heavy freight handled by DNA Supply Chain Solutions; parcels by FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
  • Ships domestic and international.
Visit The Edge Mile Shipping details
Centreville Tech, the Alabama firm that runs marketing and builds customer apps for Alabama Lightwave and other rural ISPs.

Marketing, customer apps, and websites

Centreville Tech runs our marketing and builds our customer-facing apps.

Role: Fractional CMO, customer apps, websites, and social campaigns for ISPs HQ: Centreville, Alabama Since: 2015

Centreville Tech is the fractional-CMO and customer-app shop behind Alabama Lightwave. They run our website, our Lightwave LINK mobile app, our brand work, our social media campaigns, and the marketing engine that puts us in front of new customers across Bibb, Chilton, and Choctaw counties.

Centreville Tech and Alabama Lightwave share a founder, Josh Lambert, but they are separate companies with separate clients. The firm is on Court Square in Centreville, Alabama and has shipped product since 2015. They are pivoting their practice toward a specific niche they are good at: running marketing, social, websites, and customer apps for small and rural internet service providers. Lambert does the same fractional-CMO work for other ISPs, including Streamline Internet.

If you run a WISP, a fiber buildout, or any small operator that needs a marketing team but cannot justify a full-time CMO, this is the team to talk to. They already know how to talk to your customers because they talk to ours.

  • Fractional CMO for small and rural ISPs.
  • Customer-facing mobile apps (iOS and Android).
  • Website design, build, and maintenance.
  • Social media campaigns and paid acquisition.
  • Brand work, voice guides, and customer comms.
  • Active clients include Alabama Lightwave and Streamline Internet.
Visit Centreville Tech
Live frame from the Alabama Lightwave tower camera looking over downtown Centreville, shared with WBRC FOX6 First Alert Weather.
Live view
Live frame from the Alabama Lightwave tower camera atop CommerceOne Bank in downtown Birmingham, shared with WBRC FOX6 First Alert Weather.
Live view

Live frames from two of our tower cameras shared with WBRC. The pictures refresh every five minutes. Reload the page to pull the latest.

Weather coverage partner

WBRC FOX6 and Chief Meteorologist Wes Wyatt put our cameras on the air.

Role: On-air weather coverage from our statewide tower-mounted camera network HQ: 1720 Valley View Drive, Birmingham, Alabama 35209 Since: 1949 Network: FOX affiliate, owned by Gray Media

Alabama Lightwave runs a statewide network of high-definition cameras mounted on the towers that carry our internet service. WBRC FOX6 in Birmingham, the Gray Media FOX affiliate that covers Central Alabama, is the broadcast partner that puts those camera feeds in front of viewers when the weather turns.

Chief Meteorologist Wes Wyatt and the WBRC FOX6 First Alert Weather team use our tower-mounted cameras for live on-air commentary during severe weather and major events. The camera network is installed and maintained by Vertical Axis, and the feeds run on Alabama Lightwave backhaul straight to the studio at 1720 Valley View Drive in Birmingham. One of the most-used vantage points is the rooftop of the historic John Hand Building, current home of CommerceOne Bank.

Three ways to see these feeds. Alabama Lightwave customers and verified first responders can stream every tower camera live, 24/7, on the Lightwave LINK app. Anyone in Central Alabama can catch them during WBRC newscasts on FOX6. And anyone with a phone can download the WBRC mobile app to get our feeds inside the WBRC live coverage when the weather turns.

  • Tower-mounted HD cameras across central and west Alabama.
  • Live feeds used on-air by Wes Wyatt and the First Alert Weather team.
  • Notable installs include the rooftop of the historic John Hand Building in downtown Birmingham, current home of CommerceOne Bank.
  • Camera network installed by Vertical Axis on Alabama Lightwave structures.
  • Watch any time on the Lightwave LINK app, free for customers and first responders.
  • Watch on-air during WBRC FOX6 newscasts, or in the WBRC mobile app.
Watch WBRC FOX6 First Alert Weather

Questions about Alabama Lightwave's partners.

  • Who builds Alabama Lightwave's towers?

    Vertical Axis LLC, a Minneapolis-based tower construction contractor with crews in Birmingham, Alabama and Houston, Texas. Vertical Axis has been the primary tower contractor for Alabama Lightwave since 2018 and built the wireless network across Bibb, Chilton, and Choctaw counties. Their work covers civil, steel, RF, licensed microwave backhaul, FAA 7460 and FCC ASR closeouts, biennial structural inspections, and 24-hour emergency response. The Alabama Lightwave engagement is published as a public case study on vertical-axis.com.

  • Who handles Alabama Lightwave's freight and customs?

    DNA Supply Chain Solutions handles international and domestic freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and bonded warehousing for the telecom equipment Alabama Lightwave deploys. DNA Supply Chain Solutions is a thirty-plus-year FMC-licensed forwarder (license #019344), C-TPAT compliant, with a tracking platform called SAMMIE and a dedicated Client Success Officer model. Heavy-freight shipments from The Edge Mile route through DNA.

  • What packet core does Alabama Lightwave use for LTE and 5G?

    Rapid5GS, an Alabama-built deployment automation layer for Open5GS authored by Josh Lambert. Rapid5GS gives a small operator a production-ready LTE or 5G packet core in minutes and is openly sponsored by Alabama Lightwave and Centreville Tech. The licensed Rapid5GS Pro GUI product is sold through The Edge Mile. The Rapid5GS source code is published on GitHub.

  • What is Open5GS?

    Open5GS is an open-source implementation of the 5G Core (5GC) and EPC (Evolved Packet Core) functions defined by 3GPP. It is the foundation Rapid5GS automates and that Alabama Lightwave runs in production for its private LTE deployment. Open5GS is maintained at open5gs.org.

  • Where does Alabama Lightwave buy Nokia LTE equipment?

    From The Edge Mile, a private-LTE and private-5G deployment specialist headquartered at 38 Court Square West in Centreville, Alabama. The Edge Mile catalogs Nokia AZQC three-sector CBRS site kits with tested 4T4R RRHs and antennas, refurbished Baicells 436Q kits, accessories, and SIMs, and bundles them with Rapid5GS Pro and consulting. The Edge Mile was founded by Josh Lambert and Tommy Waldrop, two veteran WISP operators.

  • Who builds and maintains the Alabama Lightwave website and apps?

    Centreville Tech LLC, a software and fractional-CMO shop founded in 2015 at 38 Court Square West in Centreville, Alabama. Centreville Tech and Alabama Lightwave share a founder (Josh Lambert) but are separate companies. Centreville Tech is pivoting its practice toward fractional-CMO and customer-app work for small and rural ISPs, with active clients including Alabama Lightwave and Streamline Internet.

  • Is Centreville Tech the same company as Alabama Lightwave?

    No. Centreville Tech LLC and Alabama Lightwave, Inc. are separate legal entities with separate clients and separate operations. They share a founder, Josh Lambert, and both sit at 38 Court Square West in Centreville, Alabama, but the companies bill, contract, and operate independently. Centreville Tech is the agency that builds Alabama Lightwave's website, mobile app, and marketing campaigns under a standard vendor relationship.

  • Why is Alabama Lightwave connected to WBRC FOX6?

    Alabama Lightwave operates a statewide network of HD weather cameras mounted on its towers and feeds them to WBRC FOX6 in Birmingham, the Gray Media FOX affiliate that serves Central Alabama. Chief Meteorologist Wes Wyatt and the WBRC First Alert Weather team use the cameras for live on-air commentary during severe weather. The cameras are installed and serviced by Vertical Axis. Notable installs include the rooftop of the historic John Hand Building in downtown Birmingham, current home of CommerceOne Bank.

  • Who is Wes Wyatt?

    Wes Wyatt is the Chief Meteorologist at WBRC FOX6 in Birmingham, Alabama. He leads the WBRC First Alert Weather team and uses Alabama Lightwave's statewide tower-mounted camera network for live on-air weather coverage during severe weather and major events.

  • What is the John Hand Building?

    The John Hand Building is a historic high-rise at 17 N 20th Street in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, completed in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It currently houses CommerceOne Bank and serves as one of the rooftop sites for Alabama Lightwave's WBRC weather cameras.

  • Where can I watch the Alabama Lightwave tower cameras live?

    Alabama Lightwave customers and verified first responders can stream every tower camera live, 24 hours a day, on the Lightwave LINK mobile app. Anyone in Central Alabama can see the same cameras during WBRC FOX6 newscasts, and the cameras also surface inside the WBRC mobile app during live weather coverage.

  • What is MGMIX?

    MGMIX is the Montgomery Internet Exchange, a public peering fabric at the RSA Dexter Avenue Datacenter in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama Lightwave is a member of MGMIX, alongside Meta, Hurricane Electric, and the State of Alabama. MGMIX keeps Alabama-to-Alabama traffic in Alabama rather than transiting through Atlanta or Dallas.

Working with one of these companies?

Tell them Alabama Lightwave sent you. Or tell us who we should add to this page. We do not pay for placements and we do not take any here. Every partner above is a partner because the work is good.

Talk to a person About Alabama Lightwave