Laurel Highland Telephone Company and Optical Solutions roll out FTTP network in Pennsylvania

13 June 2003 Minneapolis, MN Lightwave--Laurel Highland Telephone Company (LHTC) is launching a fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) network over a 400 square mile area east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, using FiberPath technology from Optical Solutions.

"We're deploying fiber-to-the-premises technology because we want to give our subscribers access to all the evolving Internet, voice, and video applications available - and Optical Solutions' FTTP solution is a great way to deliver that kind of next-generation bandwidth," said Jim Kail, general manager and chief executive officer, LHTC.

LHTC, an incumbent local-exchange carrier with offices in Indian Head and Stahlstown, is deploying fiber access to the community of Indian Head initially, and will roll out broadband services to Stahlstown, Mill Run and other neighboring communities in the near future.
The new network will also fulfill the broadband deployment requirements of Chapter 30, legislation passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1993 to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have access to broadband services.

"With this new FTTP network, LHTC is ensuring that our residents and local businesses have access to even more advanced broadband services than they could get today in Pittsburgh," said Donegal Township Supervisor Thomas Stull. "We believe that some business owners that may have been reluctant to locate here before will now decide to build businesses here and invest in our area."

FiberPath is a FTTP system based on the passive optical network (PON) platform. A FiberDrive unit installed in the central office acquires and converges voice, video, and data signals for distribution through the PON. At the customer premise, a FiberPoint node converts the signals to standard powering systems for home or office telephones, computers, and television.