Dark Fiber

The Development Authority of the North Country (Authority) has selected an Infinera (News - Alert) Digital Optical Network for a middle-mile project upgrade in Upstate New York.

The Authority operates a network in northern New York State offering broadband connectivity to rural areas, small towns, and major U.S. Army base Fort Drum. When complete, the Authority's Open Access Telecom Network will have more than 1,250 miles of fiber network.

The state-of-the-art network offers the benefits of broadband with speed, flexibility, and cost-effective scalable bandwidth to carriers, public, and private institutions. The project is expected to enable competition and better broadband penetration in the region.

“We are pleased to support the Authority in bringing world-class broadband services to northern New York State to help the region compete more effectively in today's economy,” said Tom Fallon, CEO of Infinera.

“The Infinera Digital Optical Networks architecture supports broadband stimulus networks with a long-term network solution that is simple, fast, and flexible,” Fallon added.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded a $20 million broadband stimulus grant to the Authority in the first round of stimulus funding.

The stimulus fund is expected to assist the Authority to extend its existing network with added diversity. The Authority will add new routes to better serve existing customers and offer broadband connectivity to new customers in the northeastern part of the state including the Adirondack Mountains region.

“We are excited about the new services and economic development opportunities we'll be able to offer the North Country region,” said David Wolf, Authority telecommunications general manager, in a statement.

“We will offer a wide range of services quickly, deliver world-class high-speed broadband to local business and institutions, help attract new industries, and offer advanced services like telemedicine, and distance learning on our network,” Wolf added.

Infinera recently announced it joined Allied Fiber’s Dark Fiber Community. The Dark Fiber Community (DFC) is an online vendor directory that mirrors the fiber eco-system with participants ranging from fiber technology and equipment manufacturers to infrastructure providers and service vendors.