JANUARY 26, 2010 -- Netherlands-based fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) equipment supplier Genexis says it is partnering with Case Western Reserve University to build a gigabit FTTH network. Called the Case Connection Zone, the pilot program is designed to bring broadband to underserved communities.
“Access to broadband communication is a necessity for fully engaged economic and social development,” says Lev Gonick, Case’s vice president for information technology services. “With a gigabit fiber network, communities can access services such as healthcare and e-learning and at the same time provide people with open access to the economic opportunities that the Internet enables. This combination of strengthening the community structure and providing people with a superhighway to the digital world is vital to improving lives in American cities.”
Genexis will provide its gigabit-per-second Optical Communication Gateway to the Cleveland-based initiative. Installed in the home, the gateway serves as an interface between the carrier and home infrastructures (see "Genexis launches Gbit/sec FTTH gateway").
“The Genexis unit provides each home with the standard set of communication services plus it enables a whole host of new services in the area of healthcare, security, education and more,” says Gerlas van den Hoven, CEO of Genexis.
With the first trial scheduled to launch later this quarter, the program aims to connect 25,000 residents in Cleveland. The initiative is joined by such Cleveland-based organizations as University Hospitals, The Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Hospital System, OneCommunity, the Great Lakes Science Center, public safety forces, and the City of Cleveland itself.
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