APRIL 27, 2010 -- Zhone Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ZHNE; search Lightwave for Zhone) says that KanOkla Networks has selected the company’s MXK terabit-scale multi-service access platforms (MSAPs) and zNID optical network terminals (ONTs) for an extensive fiber to the home (FTTH) project that will provide the foundation for 1-Gbps Active Ethernet service.
In addition to platform performance and future-proof capacity with the MXK, KanOkla cited ease of management via a single-screen graphical user interface (GUI) and zNID’s auto-provisioning as winning factors in its selection criteria for the Active Ethernet FTTH project, Zhone asserts.
KanOkla Networks currently serves 20 exchanges within a 1,400 square-mile region extending throughout Oklahoma and Kansas and provisions to residents that often live 10 miles or more from central office locations.
“We see FTTH as a transformative technology for our communities,” said Greg Aldridge, CEO for KanOkla. “For example, broadband fiber is helping ranchers and farmers in our area compete more effectively in the open market through online video auctions and up-to-the minute intelligence on commodity pricing.”
“At a relatively early stage in the technology, over-the-top video already accounts for roughly 30 percent of Internet bandwidth traffic, making 1-Gig service inevitable,” said Ed Bernard, plant supervisor and director of KanOkla’s FTTH project. “Scalability and the flexibility to make changes and provision new services remotely provide savings that will continue to compound for our subscribers over time.”
KanOkla employed the Nebraska firm HunTel Engineering to assist with RUS funding, network design, and vendor selection. HunTel and KanOkla evaluated offerings from six separate vendors. Three made the first cut until they ultimately narrowed the field to two, Zhone says.
“Zhone’s auto-provisioning is a key differentiator, and it becomes increasingly valuable in a dispersed geography,” said Karlin Kelley, general manager of HunTel. “We all did our due diligence and as a result of careful planning and preparation, the project is going smoothly.”
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