EATEL brings triple play to 'Cajun country'

Real estate advertisements in Ascension Parish reportedly now read, "Three bedrooms, two baths, wood floors, and fiber-to-the-home."

By Heather Hewitt, EATEL, and Sayeed Rashid, Alcatel

EATEL, a privately owned Louisiana communications company serving an area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, has been providing telephone service since 1935 and Internet service since 1995. With its new fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network, EATEL has added video services to provide a complete triple-play package, including the fastest high-speed Internet service available anywhere in the state.

Through careful planning, informed decision-making, and the right architecture implementation, EATEL has met its three primary upgrade goals: To provide customers with the latest telecommunications technologies; to future proof the network to meet escalating bandwidth demand; and to establish a solid defense against competitive pressures. In fact, the new network already has weathered the harshest of tests: The fury Hurricane Katrina unleashed on the Gulf Coast.

The latest and greatest

To provide the latest and greatest next-generation services to its customers, EATEL pushed fiber closer to the end user and added the missing piece of its triple-play puzzle: Video. The service provider considered several video delivery architectures, including VDSL over copper, hybrid fiber-coax (HFC), a passive optical network (PON)-based FTTH system, and other optical alternatives.

EATEL was reluctant to transport its video service over a copper infrastructure because most industry analysts agree that high-definition television (HDTV), video-on-demand (VoD), and other bandwidth-hungry video services will drive bandwidth demand ever higher in the future. Moreover, deploying a network superior to its current competitors ranked high on EATEL's upgrade agenda. This goal quickly eliminated the copper- or coax-based architectures deployed by many of its competitors.

PON-based FTTH networks have been deployed successfully and have proven to be a viable option for meeting future bandwidth requirements. As such, EATEL opted to be the first to implement the technology in a large network in Louisiana. The service provider selected Alcatel's Fiber-to-the-User (FTTU) equipment to extend its core optical network to each subscriber via a PON distribution architecture.

For the EATEL build-out, Alcatel also brought two partner companies on board-- companies that had worked with the vendor on previous deployment projects. Scientific-Atlanta provided the video headend for the new system, and General Bandwidth contributed the voice gateway.

Thinking ahead

The current success of EATEL's FTTH network was hardly accidental. Making some good decisions that later turned out to be great decisions is a testament to the importance of planning--not just for a few years but for decades ahead.

For example, EATEL serves a community in east Ascension and lower Livingston Parishes that sits between the major cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, an area that has experienced significant growth over the past 15 years. Although Hurricane Katrina has added to that growth as families look to settle further north of the flood plain, the growth spurt already was well underway.

Spending a few extra cents per foot to install vacant ducts in new developments avoided any plowing, trenching, or boring in existing neighborhoods following construction. Ducts were deployed from pedestal to pedestal along the roads in each new subdivision. From the pedestal to each home, EATEL employs a below-ground, direct-bore process that eliminates any possible damage to the existing landscape. From the customer's perspective, there is no visible indication that services have been connected--just a sign in the front yard that reads, "Another EATEL TV Customer."

EATEL's forward-thinking planning process also paid big dividends during Hurricane Katrina's actual assault on the provider's franchise area. Because of its location and the likelihood of hurricanes and other large storms, about 70% to 80% of EATEL's outside plant is buried. Although that decision proved more costly in terms of initial network deployment, it provides much greater network reliability during storms and high winds. Downed lines and fallen trees are not an issue with buried facilities.

However, even the most careful planning doesn't mitigate all the challenges that may be encountered during a major network upgrade, and EATEL's deployment proved no different. One of the main challenges--and one faced by most telephone service providers--is simply the process of educating its traditional telephone customers. Even the most loyal telephone customers have some trouble grasping the fact that their phone company also now offers the latest video services. Ramping up a successful product launch and actually getting the services out quickly to meet projected take rates presents a formidable challenge for traditional telephone service providers.

The first actual outside plant deployments also provided a few new lessons. In some areas, for instance, EATEL had to retrofit the existing infrastructure by deploying fiber in place of the legacy copper infrastructure. This required the replacement of existing pedestals with larger cabinets to accommodate the bend radius of optical fiber. However, some residents were concerned about the placement of larger pedestals in their manicured yards. To make the construction more aesthetically pleasing, EATEL worked closely with its vendors to find smaller pedestals that would satisfy its customers, yet still provide the necessary bend radius for the new fiber.

Furthermore, most installation and maintenance work for a telephone company traditionally takes place at a demarcation point outside the home. This work can be accomplished without disturbing subscribers or requiring their presence at the home. But as EATEL has discovered, data and video service calls require access to the subscriber's television or computer, making it necessary to schedule times that are convenient to the customer. As a result, the new service rollout necessitates a seven-day work schedule--including technician availability after 5 p.m.--to accommodate the required installation and maintenance calls.

From 'facing' to 'becoming' the competition

Finding new ways to deliver the benefits of fiber quickly and efficiently to new and existing customers has become the cornerstone of EATEL's business strategy. This was underscored by the company's rapid response to Hurricane Katrina victims.

Shortly before the storm hit, several large multi-dwelling units (MDUs) were under construction within EATEL's franchise area. The owner already viewed optical fiber as advantageous for offering the best services to new tenants, so EATEL was enlisted to ensure all 250 units were pre-wired for fiber access. For each 16-unit structure, 16 optical network terminals (ONTs) were mounted together in a secure enclosure on the outside of the structure.

Today, the main priority for EATEL is the completion of the first phase of its FTTH build-out, already approximately three-quarters complete. Although nothing is beyond the realm of possibility, the company's current focus is simply the extension of its FTTH network to residences in the remaining portions of its franchise area.

Developing a service portfolio to compete with its main competitor's triple-play package was a major catalyst behind EATEL's decision to deploy FTTH. However, the network surpassed that goal by offering higher Internet speeds than anyone in the area; standard 6 Mbits/sec or premium 10 Mbits/sec are offered on the network, and both exceed competitive offerings.

In terms of new triple-play services, all budget goals have been exceeded to date. For the moment, the greatest challenge is keeping up with the orders to deliver new services to anxious customers.

EATEL offers the complete triple play for just under $100 a month, with several upgrade options, including the fastest residential Internet speeds available in the state. During a recent cable-cut problem, one EATEL customer desperately needed to conduct a telebriefing for his business. EATEL offered him temporary access to one of its conference rooms to make his online presentation via the corporate LAN. On his way out, he commented, "This is great customer service, but my Internet is faster at home."

In Southeast Louisiana, customers are realizing the value that fiber offers for future-proofing their access to the latest and greatest telecommunications services. In fact, real estate advertisements in Ascension Parish reportedly now read, "Three bedrooms, two baths, wood floors, and fiber-to-the-home."

Sayeed Rashid is senior marketing manager in Alcatel's Access Networks Division (www.alcatel.com), headquartered in Raleigh, NC. Heather Hewitt is director of sales and marketing at EATEL (www.eatel.com), headquartered in Gonzales, LA.