MCG, Calix to enable Massachusetts' first gigabit community

Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) says that the Leverett (MA) Broadband Committee has awarded the contract to build its fiber to the home (FTTH) project to Millennium Communications Group Inc. (MCG) of East Hanover, NJ. As part of its proposal to Leverett to deliver gigabit services throughout the town, MCG partnered with Calix to include the Calix E7-20 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) and 700GE family of optical-network terminals (ONTs).

Leveraging point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet technology to deliver high-speed symmetrical broadband to every residence and business in town, the Leverett fiber-optic broadband network will set a new standard for broadband services in Massachusetts as the first gigabit services network in the Commonwealth. The Leverett Broadband Committee is said to have enthusiastically supported the inclusion of the Calix platform, largely because of its advanced capabilities. Construction will start immediately, with completion targeted for the end of 2014. MCG's sister company Matrix Design Group will oversee the project and network design as well as the make-ready work for the Leverett fiber network.

"For many years, our town of Leverett suffered from inadequate broadband offerings, with some of our residents unable to connect at all," reports Peter d'Errico, chair of the Leverett Broadband Committee and member of the Leverett Select Board. "We took matters into our own hands and, after two years of evaluation and planning, are very proud to now be bringing one of the nation's most advanced broadband networks to western Massachusetts. In choosing Calix and MCG, we feel confident that our community will thrive economically, socially, and culturally well into the future, and become a model for other towns in our region."

Leverett was underserved with only a small number of residents having access to DSL service, while most were limited to dial-up or satellite Internet service. With the completion of the nearby Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) middle-mile fiber network, Leverett took the opportunity to connect to the MBI network and provide advanced broadband services to its residents. Leverett is the first community to build a last-mile network in western Massachusetts connecting to the MBI network.

"As middle-mile networks created by the Broadband Stimulus program near completion, underserved communities throughout the country will be looking to leverage this new fiber to expand the reach of broadband in their regions," explains John Colvin, senior vice president of North America sales and marketing at Calix. "Towns like Leverett are serving as an example of what is possible when communities come together for the benefit of all. By taking matters into their own hands, Leverett will transform from an underserved town into a gigabit community – one of the most connected in the country – with the capability to take full advantage of the emerging broadband applications of the future."

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