Kuuskaista uses Calix E7 to bring advanced broadband to rural Finland

Calix Inc. (NYSE: CALX) says that Finnish network co-operative Verkko-Osuuskunta Kuuskaista has chosen the Calix E7-2 and E7-20 Ethernet Service Access Platforms (ESAPs) to bring advanced fiber-optic broadband services to central Finland.

Kuuskaista is an open access fiber-optic network operator for residential and business services, as well as mobile backhaul. The project has been awarded funding under the Finnish Government’s stimulus program, aimed at bringing fiber-based broadband services and related economic advantages to underserved regions.

Kuuskaista says it plans to extend its broadband access network to 15 communities in central Finland by 2015, targeting approximately 60,000 households that have to date been reliant upon patchy mobile network coverage and legacy telephony services. The initial deployment of the Kuuskaista fiber network is already bringing advanced broadband services to the six communities in the Kuusiokunnat region situated around 350 km north of the capital of Helsinki and 125 km from the nearest larger city of Jyvaskala.

Working closely with Calix and local channel partner K&K Active Oy, Kuuskaista will deploy GPON and point-to-point Gigabit Ethernet technologies to power its network, which is capable of delivering speeds of up to 1 Gbps to each subscribing home and business. The network will lay the groundwork for transforming the broadband experience opportunities and the economic potential of this underserved region of Finland.

Along with the Calix E7 ESAPs, Kuuskaista will leverage Calix Compass Flow Analyze and Consumer Connect software applications to optimize the performance of services on the network, while increasing operational efficiencies of service delivery. Calix says Compass Flow Analyze will give Kuuskaista a clear picture of how the network is being used, based on service and subscriber, and help to identify ways to increase customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and expand revenues. Consumer Connect will enable Kuuskaista (and potentially other service providers on the network) to remotely activate new broadband devices and manage home networks, creating new revenue sources, improved customer satisfaction, and reduced service delivery costs.

“Kuuskaista’s role is to build, maintain, and expand the network infrastructure, acting as a bridge between service providers and our business and household subscribers,” said Eki Maki-Ikola, development manager of Kuuskaista. “Working with Calix and K&K Active has allowed us to quickly build out our open access network that is now capable of providing triple play and next-generation services to the households and businesses in our region. Without this network, these advanced services and the opportunities that they enable for the residents and businesses of this region would not have been possible.”

Calix and K & K Active will deliver the Calix E7 ESAPs and complemented by Calix optical line terminals (ONTs). Calix says the key to Kuuskaista’s network design has been the flexibility of the E7-2s and E7-20s, with their ability to support both GPON and point-to-point gigabit Ethernet services, along with all necessary transport capabilities, enabling the deployment of a single network.

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