October 3, 2005 Las Vegas, NV -- Wave7 Optics today announced the first customer for its Trident7 optical access platform. Falcon Broadband , a CLEC based in Colorado Springs, CO, will deploy the company's Trident7 "universal PON" system to build a triple-play FTTP network that will connect 22,500 homes in the Colorado Springs area.
The CLEC is reportedly targeting mixed-use residential and commercial subdivisions, which are projected to grow rapidly in the region. To that end, the Falcon says it has negotiated agreements with developers to connect new homes and businesses with the Trident 7 FTTH systems. The CLEC currently has thousands of homes and commercial spaces under contract, and says it expects to have thousands more signed for the Wave7 deployment in the coming months.
"As we have immediate customer requirements, we want to deploy Wave7's equipment right away, and the Trident7 is perfect for our needs now and in the future," remarks Randy DeYoung, president and CEO of Falcon Broadband. "Our [Wave 7 Last Mile Link] LML customers will be fully supported with new features going forward, and our GPON deployments will grow in features as the standards are improved. We like too that Wave7 makes it even easier for us to do this, as we can serve both sets of customers from the same rack of central office equipment. Furthermore, their advanced RF-return capability will make our network completely interactive, an important feature when it comes to take rates and reducing churn."
According to Wave7, the Trident7 system fully supports the two emerging dominant FTTP standards - IEEE 802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) and ITU-T G.984 Gigabit-capable PON (GPON) - as well as Wave7's Ethernet LML technology. The company says it will begin shipping, before the end of 2005, the Trident7 equipped with LML blades, and will enable a GPON mode for Falcon in early 2006 and thereafter. According to a press release, Falcon will connect its first customers using LML links and then switch over to GPON exclusively after it becomes available, after standards-compliant GPON chips begin shipping in early 2006.
"Falcon Broadband represents exactly what we had in mind for service providers looking for the ultimate in flexibility and interoperability with low upfront costs and network expansion on a pay-as-you-grow basis," remarks Tom Tighe, CEO of Wave7 Optics. "Falcon has solid operating credentials and an exciting business plan to deliver the best in broadband services to their region."
After the recent acquisition of a CLEC and other key facilities in the area, Falcon Broadband says it now has more than 250 miles of fiber running throughout Colorado Springs and the nearby town of Falcon, which the CLEC says puts it in a position to offer FTTP almost anywhere in the city and immediate vicinity.