CityNet Telecommunications, Inc., a provider of last-mile broadband infrastructure, and CableRunner North America, LLC, a subsidiary of the Vienna, Austria Water & Sewer Agency (WienKanal GmbH) and provider of fiber optic cable installation technology for man-accessible sewers, opened the doors on their In-Sewer Broadband Deployment Training Center, established to provide training and instruction on installing fiber optic networks through existing sewer systems.
The center will provide engineers and specialized technicians with training and hands-on experience in operating the sophisticated equipment required for making in-sewer deployment of fiber optics possible. Technicians who complete the intensive training will be working at CityNet deployment sites in cities across the U.S. and internationally.
In addition to the actual training area, the center also includes a showroom, conference and projection facilities. The training area features a working representation of a city street, complete with actual manholes and underground sewer pipes. Two different pipe systems are showcased -- 36" large, man-accessible sewer pipes used for training crews on the CableRunner systems; and 8" small, non-man-accessible sewer pipes used for training crews on CityNet's SAM robots.
The companies' approach provides a turnkey in-sewer deployment solution for both large, man-accessible sewer pipes -- with CableRunner technology -- and small, non-man-accessible pipes, where CityNet uses sewer robots manufactured exclusively for the company by Ka-Te Systems AG of Zurich, Switzerland. Together, the two deployment technologies that CityNet uses offer a solution to deploying fiber optic networks directly into buildings.
CityNet has already signed license and access agreements with seven cities in the United States and Europe, including Indianapolis, Albuquerque, Omaha, St. Paul, Scottsdale, Fort Worth and Vienna, Austria. CableRunner N.A. has already deployed their man-accessible in-sewer deployment technology in a number of European cities, including Vienna, Krakow, Paris and Berlin.
CityNet and CableRunner have entered a strategic partnership to deliver a turnkey solution for in-sewer fiber network deployment. The last-mile is the gap in the all-fiber optic broadband network -- currently occupied by older and slower copper cables -- between end-user buildings and the much larger "beltway" fiber optic networks that circle around and through cities. CityNet's sole focus is to replace that copper bottleneck with sophisticated, fiber optics.
About CityNet:
Founded in 1999, CityNet is a broadband infrastructure company that builds carrier-class last-mile fiber optic networks. For more information, visit www.citynettelecom.com.
About CableRunner North America LLC:
CableRunner, from Vienna, Austria, is dedicated to easing the implementation and installation of fiber optic cable in congested metropolitan areas. For more information, visit www.cablerunnerusa.com.