Corning Incorporated has opened its latest optical cable manufacturing campus in Hickory, North Carolina to help address demand for high-speed broadband in the US.

The new manufacturing centre will help accelerate US buildouts of high-speed fibre broadband networks and connect the unconnected.

With the campus’s two new facilities, Corning will help provide US network operators with the cable they need to bring high-speed fibre connectivity to underserved communities, particularly in rural America.

These facilities will add hundreds of jobs to Corning’s existing North Carolina workforce of over 5000.

The new campus is part of a series of investments by Corning totalling more than $500 million since 2020, helping to meet growing fibre and cable demand and strong customer commitments.

Wendell P. Weeks, Corning Chairman and CEO, said: “With this new manufacturing campus, we’re creating local jobs, we’re helping our workforce build important skills, we’re cultivating our next generation of talent right here in North Carolina, and we’re thrilled to continue addressing demand for the fibre and cable that are so vital to moving the world forward.

“We appreciate the support of federal, state, local officials, and industry organisations as we come together to help connect the unconnected and to make ‘Internet for All’ a reality.”

Corning has manufactured optical fibre and cable in North Carolina for more than 40 years.

With the opening of the Trivium campus, Corning will manufacture optical cable at two sites in Hickory and at sites in Newton and Winston-Salem.