Calix selected for 1-Gbps broadband project in York, UK

Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) says that its E7-2 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) has been chosen to provide fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology to an award-winning £40 million new housing development in Derwenthorpe, Yorkshire, UK.

The Calix E7-2 platform with its support for point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet technology will enable over 540 homes to receive high-speed data services at speeds up to 1 Gbps, advanced television services via an Integrated Reception System (IRS), and reliable voice-over-IP services.

This project and its powerful broadband infrastructure – claimed to be one of the most advanced in the UK – is expected to boost the area’s economy, help fulfil the environmentally friendly vision of bringing work closer to home, and provide a wide range of e-services, including e-government, telemedicine, and e-learning.

Created by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Derwenthorpe is a major development on the outskirts of the city of York and has been designed as an example of sustainable community living for villages of the future. Winner of a 2010 Housing Design Award for the best recently completed and planned housing schemes in the UK, many of the units are social housing, providing a much needed residential area for the region. The design incorporates many environmental features and the Trust decided to complement these by offering its residents advanced high-speed broadband services via a fiber-optic network.

Nigel Ingram of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust said, “Broadband services, especially the kind of high-bandwidth services that fiber can offer, are extremely powerful for communities such as Derwenthorpe – they open up boundless possibilities for community living, creating a rich mix of work, leisure, and residential services in one place. They are a key economic enabler and a significant part of this housing concept.”

He added that the Trust anticipated that it would replicate this concept in other communities in and around York.

The project uses the Ethernet eXtensible architecture (EXA) powered Calix E7-2 ESAP platform, delivered through reseller Fibre Options, as the access network. Fibre Options will design and implement the network, delivering services to every home over fiber. Looking to ensure the Derwenthorpe network is future-proof, the company chose the E7-2, which has the flexibility to deploy a variety of network technologies from a modular, 1 rack-unit (RU) chassis. As the project continues to grow, additional E7-2 platforms can be added modularly on a pay-as-you-grow basis, while still being managed as one network element.

“Working with innovative organisations such as the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust and Fibre Options to enable one of the UK’s most advanced broadband infrastructures in the UK is a true honor, but the real beneficiaries will be the residents and businesses who reside within the Derwenthorpe project,” said Andy Lockhart, senior vice president of international sales and marketing at Calix. “As Calix continues to expand its presence in the UK, we look forward to helping to bring broadband to similar communities and help them to drive development in their local economies.”

For more information on FTTx/access systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.