August 18, 2004 Minneapolis, MN -- Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) vendor Optical Solutions Inc. has been selected by Teton Telecom of Driggs, Idaho, to deliver fiber-fed voice, data, and digital IPTV services to several new subdivisions on the western base of the Teton mountain range.
Teton Telecom serves 4,000 access lines across a 597-square-mile service area that straddles western Wyoming and eastern Idaho. Aided by a fiber
trunk partnership with Kamas, Utah-based All West Communications, Teton Telecom has access to a digital head-end signal to provide IPTV services in addition to high-speed data and voice services.
"We had the digital signal there to leverage, so it made no sense to deploy with RF-based video--especially since FiberPath's digital solution proved compatible with our existing DSL-based TV," explains Teton Telecom's engineering and outside plant manager Aaron Jenkins.
Prior to signing a contract with Optical Solutions, Jenkins had worked with three other FTTP equipment companies. "We struggled for a long time with
incompatibility problems, poor system quality and design, complex installations, product supply shortages and a variety of other issues," admits Jenkins. "We went with Optical Solutions because their system works-- FiberPath has been easy to install and simple to operate, and the switched digital video capability is fine-tuned so we could get to market right away, without all the downtime we've experienced in the past."
By combining the strengths of BPON and EPON, FiberPath 500 GPON provides an ITU/FSAN-compliant standard for delivering triple-play services to
the home or business:
• Higher Speeds - Economically expands beyond BPON speed limitation, with PON speeds at 1.2-Gbit/sec downstream and 622-Mbits/sec upstream;
• Longer reach - Easily reaches 20 km (12.5 miles) distances even with an RF video overlay;
• QoS support - Delivers quality voice services over ATM as well as Ethernet;
• Legacy TDM services support - Enables the comprehensive support of carrier-class voice services; and
• IP transport - Recognizes progression from ATM to IP network transport and supports seamless migration to VoIP and other IP-based services such as
IPTV.
Teton Telecom is currently deploying FiberPath in four new residential developments. Long-term, the carrier also plans to replace its aging copper infrastructure with direct-fiber lines.
"Teton Telecom has set itself apart in the local marketplace with its powerful pairing of FTTP and IPTV," adds Keith Carlson, director of sales at Optical Solutions Inc. "Their strategy to deploy with FiberPath means customers can enjoy cutting-edge communications and video entertainment services. It also means Teton is king of the mountain among local competition with its peerless, future-proof network."