Three Broadband Stimulus Winners Build FTTH, All With Calix Gear

PETALUMA, CA - Two eastern Oklahoma telcos, Cimarron Telephone Company (CimTel) and Cross Telephone Company that are building out fiber to the home with broadband stimulus funding have just selected the Calix E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) for their projects. Both will use a combination of GPON and active Ethernet technologies to bring broadband services to residences, businesses, and anchor institutions. In aggregate, these two projects will pass thousands of underserved homes, businesses, and institutions – including those in Native American tribal lands – and use approximately $60 million in stimulus grants and loans.

CimTel's project will bring fiber and wireless broadband services to underserved areas of five northeastern Oklahoma counties. The $42.4 million award consists of a $21.2 million grant and a $21.2 million loan (typically about 15 percent of the total goes for access equipment). The project will pass 8,966 homes, 933 businesses, and 35 critical community institutions. E7-2 ESAPs and the 700GE family of ONTs will be used to deliver advanced voice, data, and IPTV services.

"Having deployed fiber already in other parts of our network, we know how transformational a powerful broadband infrastructure can be for the communities served," says Gene Baldwin, vice president of CimTel. "As a long-time Calix customer, we continue to reap the benefits of a Calix Unified Access infrastructure, gaining new operational efficiencies across our company as our subscribers benefit from the advanced new services we enable."

The Cross BIP project brings FTTP and wireless broadband to approximately 52,000 citizens in its targeted region, as well as 4,180 businesses and 111 community institutions. Its award totals $17.6 million, including an $8.8 million grant and an $8.8 million loan. Like CimTel, Cross will use E7-2 ESAPs and 700GE ONTs to deliver advanced voice, data, and IPTV services.

"Broadband access is critical to the quality of life and economic development of the citizens of our entire region," says David Miller, president of Cross.

PRTC in Kentucky
A third company, Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC), is using Calix B6 Ethernet Service Access Nodes (ESANs), along with the 2000 family of ONTs, to bring fiber-based broadband services to Jackson and Owsley counties in Kentucky. PRTC will deploy GPON technology to deliver triple-play services over fiber to more than 3,500 residences and businesses. The PRTC broadband stimulus award totals $25.5 million overall, including a $17.9 million grant and a $7.6 million loan.

"The rural geography and remoteness of eastern Kentucky has historically hindered the economic development of the region, but we view our broadband expansion as a new avenue around this roadblock," says Keith Gabbard, general manager and CEO at PRTC. "This Broadband Stimulus initiative will bring one of the nation's most advanced fiber access infrastructures to the homes and businesses of Jackson and Owsley Counties, providing access to services that we believe will drive economic growth and new opportunity throughout these impoverished rural areas.

PRTC has already completed phase 1 of this project in Owsley County and is currently deploying to additional homes and businesses in Jackson County. GPON technology will be deployed across the B6 ESAN and 2444 ONTs, bringing RF video overlay, advanced broadband services and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) VOIP to subscribers.