WCVT in Vermont Chooses Calix for Stimulus FTTH Project

PETALUMA, CA - Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT), an independent telephone company that serves the Mad River and Central Champlain Valley regions of Vermont, selected Calix gear for its three-year network transformation project. The company is building a fiber-to-the-home network with $5.5 million in broadband stimulus funding. Nestled in the Green Mountains, WCVT serves subscribers that include rural residents and businesses as well as ski resorts such as Bolton Valley, Mad River Glen, and Sugarbush.

WCVT is using small-form-factor B6 Ethernet Service Access Nodes (ESANs) and E7 Ethernet Service Access Platforms (ESAPs) to retrofit its existing cabinets and bring GPON services over fiber to more than 1,300 businesses, residences and anchor institutions. At customer premises, it will use the 700GE family of optical network terminals (ONTs), including 716GE-I indoor ONTs for residences, 766GX ONTs for business customers, and 725GE RF return ONTs to deliver video services in certain areas. Outside the broadband stimulus areas, the company will deploy Calix B6 ESANs to deliver ADSL2+ services over copper.

The one rack-unit B6 and E7 solutions will allow WCVT to prepare its network for the applications of the future without replacing cabinets or requiring costly forklift upgrades. These solutions give service providers the flexibility to leverage existing infrastructure and fit into hard-to-reach spots in the network.

"It is extremely important for WCVT to upgrade our network as efficiently as possible in order to bring the fastest broadband speeds to market without a lengthy and costly deployment period," says Lee Cheney, central office manager at WCVT. "After a very thorough trial process, we are confident that the Calix Unified Access portfolio provides us with the reliability, flexibility, and capacity to deliver the speeds our customers are looking for without requiring major new construction or an overhaul of our existing network. As we begin this project that will cover over 669 square miles, we believe that the flexibility and ease of deployment of the Calix solutions, complemented by the experience of the Calix team, will help us to transform our network and deliver an extraordinary broadband experience to our subscribers."