Calix E7-2 powers Cotswolds community fiber access project

Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) says that its E7-2 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) is being used to support a community fiber access project in the residential and farming villages of Overbury and Conderton in the UK. The villages are part of the Overbury Estate in the Cotswolds region. The project will create a fiber to the premises (FTTP) broadband network capable of support speeds up to 1 Gbps.

While the Estate has had access to some form of broadband for more than 10 years, modern requirements led the community to improve its infrastructure via FTTP. The fiber-optic broadband network will support the needs of a wide variety of residences and businesses, including farming and professional businesses and a range of local trades, crafts, and services establishments. The FTTP network also will meet the needs of such community anchor institutions as the village hall, church, and school.

“The Overbury Estate may be a small community, but we have a big vision. We aim to create a rural quality of life that is as well-resourced as urban living, but with all the advantages of landscape and environment, relaxed lifestyle, and close community ties,” says Penelope Bossom, whose family has owned and managed Overbury Estate for nearly 300 years. “That includes high-quality broadband services that allow residents to live, work, and play as they want. The pilot has been very successful and we are now rolling out to all the houses on the Estate, plus a drop-in hub for villagers, local craftspeople, and organizations to use for their business purposes. Eventually we will be able to extend the services to the other community facilities too.”

“Overbury is a great example of the difference that high-speed broadband services can make in a rural community in a relatively short space of time,” said Andy Lockhart, senior vice president of international sales and marketing at Calix. “Calix has already delivered a number of innovative community projects in the UK and globally. Along with Derwenthorpe in York and Alston Moor in the Pennines, Overbury is a further example of how we are bringing our experience in North America’s rural broadband market to the UK, and in doing so setting a new standard for advanced broadband services in the country.”

Calix Channel Partner Fibre Options designed and implemented the network.

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