January 31, 2005 Atlanta, GA -- Wave7 Optics Inc. has announced that Sancom of Mitchell, SD, has selected Wave7's "Last Mile Link" fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network equipment to deliver a triple play of IP-based voice, video, and data services to residential and business customers in Mitchell, SD, home of the famous Corn Palace.
Santel operates as an independent operating company in Woonsocket, SD, and its Sancom, Inc. subsidiary, Mitchell Telecom, operates as a CLEC in that community.
Funded in part by a Rural Utilities Service (RUS, a service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) loan, network construction in Mitchell has begun and is expected to conclude in 4Q 2005. The new network will "pass" most of Mitchell's population of approximately 15,000. Mitchell Telecom is overbuilding existing Qwest copper-based facilities to provide optical broadband services. The new network will feature a service offering including more than 100 channels of television (including pay-per-view), four telephone lines, and symmetrical Internet connections ranging from 64 kbits/sec to 10 Mbits/sec for true "high-speed" surfing, interactive gaming, and more.
"We considered DSL and even broadband wireless options for this community, but decided that FTTP made better sense in terms of capital depreciation and 'future proofing' the network in order to handle services yet to come," said Don Robertson, operations manager of Mitchell Telecom. "Furthermore, Wave7's clear leadership in IP video and their flexible deployment options, which permit us to deploy in a PON or hybrid active and passive network, really place them ahead of the pack."