Dark Fiber

Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC) of Walterboro, S.C., is moving “fiber forward” with the help of Calix’s network.

PRTC is deploying the Calix (News - Alert) E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) and a variety of Calix 700GX optical network terminals (ONTs) to deliver advanced broadband services over fiber to residences, businesses, and cell towers across its two county regions -- Colleton and Bamberg counties.

By upgrading its entire network infrastructure from copper to fiber-based services, PRTC expects to use gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology to deliver some of the most advanced broadband services in North America.

These services include an IPTV (News - Alert) experience, ultra high-speed data services capable of up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) to the home or business, and feature-rich voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services.

Additionally, the cooperative plans to widely use GPON for mobile backhaul, facilitating the future delivery of advanced mobile services in the region. It’s expected that over 9,500 homes, 150 businesses, and a myriad of cell towers in the region will benefit from this seven year phased initiative.

“As we looked to the future of broadband demands in the communities that we serve, it was clear that we needed to pull ‘Fiber Forward’ throughout our network and replace our copper infrastructure with state-of-the-art fiber access technology,” said Tony Stout, plant operations manager at PRTC.

The cooperative sees Calix as a clear leader in fiber access technology and deployments, and the modular E7 and broad portfolio of Calix optical network terminals (ONTs) as well-suited for the diverse service requirements of the community, Stout said.

In the Calix E7, PRTC is selecting an all-Ethernet, environmentally -hardened, high-capacity fiber access platform. The cooperative plans to deploy the E7s in combination with over 30 available Calix 700GX and 700GE ONT models optimized for a wide variety of residential, business, and mobile backhaul applications. Calix officials said that these combinations allow PRTC to match the “right” solution to each deployment scenario.

“In pulling ‘fiber forward’ throughout its entire network and leveraging powerful Calix GPON solutions, PRTC is putting Colleton and Bamberg Counties on the map as one of the most connected areas in North America, with advanced broadband services available superior to those offered in most of America’s largest cities,” said John Colvin, vice president of field operations at Calix.

Calix is a provider of broadband communications access systems and software for fiber- and copper-based network architectures that enable communications service providers to connect to their residential and business subscribers.

Cox Business (News - Alert) recently deployed the Calix E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform and a variety of Calix 700GX optical network terminals (ONTs) to deliver advanced business services to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).