Nathan Patrick, CTO of Bay Area gigabit broadband and voice service provider Sonic, has earned the 2016 FTTXcellence Award. Patrick was announced as the 13th winner of the annual award at the FTTH Connect conference in Nashville, TN. Co-sponsored by Corning Inc. and Lightwave, the FTTXcellence Award recognizes an individual who has significantly advanced the use of optical communications technology in access networks in the Americas. The companies encourage those active in optical access technology to nominate peers whom they believe have made outstanding contributions in the deployment of FTTx, and particularly fiber to the home and premises (FTTH/FTTP). Representatives from Corning, Lightwave, and the FTTH Council Americas review the nominations and select an individual for recognition whom they believe has shown the most innovation within a salient FTTx deployment. Sonic announced early last year its intention to offer gigabit broadband to communities in the San Francisco Bay Area (see "Sonic to deliver gigabit FTTH to six California communities"). As CTO, Patrick led the effort to fulfill this initiative and enable Sonic to offer its Gigabit Fiber Internet service as well as its Fusion and FlexLink products. He is responsible for Sonic's overall network engineering activities, network operations center, and inside and outside plant construction. "[Patrick] has led his company in striving to expand their current footprint of over 125 California locations and ensures they are a champion for their customers," commented Kim Hartwell, senior vice president and chief commercial officer of Corning Optical Communications, as she revealed Patrick as the 2016 FTTXcellence Award recipient. "With a commitment to excellent customer service at a fair price, he has led his company in innovating, re-thinking, and re-imagining access to the internet for homes, businesses, and schools in their service area just north of San Francisco." Patrick could not attend the award ceremony due to family commitments. Sonic Chief Marketing Officer Tara Sharp accepted a glass sculpture designed by Josh Simpson, an artist in Shelburne Falls, MA, on his behalf at the ceremony in Nashville. In addition, a $5,000 donation is being made in Patrick's name to U.S. Ignite, a non-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to foster the creation of next-generation internet applications that provide transformative public benefit. For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center. For more information on FTTx equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.
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