Calix announced that Southeast Nebraska Communications
(SNC) and Peoples Telecommunications (Peoples) have selected the Calix Unified
Access portfolio to bring advanced broadband services to residences,
businesses, and anchor institutions in southeast Nebraska and Kansas
respectively.
Both companies will deploy gigabit passive optical
network (GPON) technology across Calix access systems and the 700GE family of
optical network terminals (ONTs) to deliver broadband speeds of up to 1 gigabit
per second (Gbps) to underserved rural areas in these states. SNC has selected
the Calix B6 Ethernet Service Access Node (ESAN) to complement B6s already
deployed widely in their network.
Peoples, a new Calix customer, has selected the Calix E7
Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) to move the company Fiber Forward. These
two awards amount to more than $19 million in awarded Stimulus funds, of which
only a portion is for access equipment.
Across the states of Kansas and Nebraska, Calix has now been selected as access vendor to 9 individual projects totaling nearly $148 million in awarded funds.
SNC is using its $11.3 million Broadband Stimulus award,
which consists of a $7.9 million grant and a $3.4 million loan, of which only a
portion is for access equipment, to offer advanced broadband services to its
rural customers outside of the town of Falls City, Nebraska.
The project will leverage the B6 and the 700GE family of
Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) to provide advanced voice and data services to
approximately 3,000 people, 50 businesses, and 20 community institutions.
Peoples will use its $7.8 million award, which consists
of a $3.9 million grant and a $3.9 million loan, of which only a portion is for
access equipment, to provide high-speed broadband services to the rural areas
outside of LaCygne, Kansas. Its fiber access network will leverage the E7 ESAP
along with the 700GE family of ONTs to bring advanced voice and data services
to the region.
“Our Broadband Stimulus award will allow us to
extend our fiber access network into the most rural areas of our LaCygne
exchange, providing advanced broadband services to areas that otherwise would
have been cost prohibitive to serve,” said Kathy Billinger, CEO and
general manager of Peoples.
“We expect this network expansion will deliver
significant new opportunities for the deserving citizens of these rural areas.
In Calix, we’ve found an experienced partner who can help us bring these
critical advanced services to our region,” Billinger added.
“We’re proud to be working with SNC and Peoples to
bring the promise of fiber to their subscribers,” said John Colvin, vice
president of field operations at Calix.
With this announcement, aggregate Calix vendor selections
by Broadband Stimulus winners for “last mile” and “middle
mile” awards have now reached 69 different projects representing
approximately $1.3 billion in Stimulus-related grants, loans, and private
investment for plant engineering, materials, labor, and other costs, including
access equipment.
Calix recently announced that Telecom Management Services
(TMS), a growing consortium of telecommunications companies in Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Alabama, has selected
the Calix Unified Access portfolio as its preferred access system for future
projects across its expanding footprint.
TMS plans to act as a catalyst to advanced broadband
service deployments among telecommunications companies by combining its
expertise in enabling and managing services like IPTV with the aggregate scale
of its partner members.
By Telecomlead.com Team
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