West Kentucky Rural Telephone to deploy Occam's IP, Ethernet access platform

November 10, 2005 Santa Barbara, CA -- West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative has selected Occam Networks' BLC 6000 System to upgrade its access network to an all IP and Ethernet access network. The co-op says it will replace all of its legacy digital loop carriers (DLCs) with the Occam BLC in a move to deliver triple play voice, video, and high-speed data services to its subscribers in Western Kentucky and Northwestern Tennessee.

"We were searching for the company with the most experience and broadest knowledge of IP Video," explains Trevor Bonnstetter, CEO of West Kentucky Rural Telephone. "Occam has a very strong and growing portfolio of customers who attest to their expertise. We were able to visit multiple Occam customers and saw the BLC 6000 delivering video services to paying subscribers."

According to a press release, in order to deliver video services cost-effectively, the co-op opted to participate in a new program sponsored by the National Rural Telecommunication Cooperative (NRTC) and SES AMERICOM that enables rural telcos to deliver multi-channel standard and high-definition television without building a traditional, proprietary head-end. The two groups will deliver MPEG-4 video to the co-op via their IP-PRIME platform.

The co-op plans to deploy the Occam platform in the first quarter of 2006.

"Delivering telecommunication services remains a highly competitive market, one in which it is critical for a telco to deliver a greater range of services if they are to stay competitive," concludes Russ Sharer, vice president of sales and marketing for Occam. "We are very committed to supporting innovative companies like West Kentucky in their drive to provide their subscribers with a full array of communications services, including cutting edge services like IPTV."