NOVEMBER 6, 2006 -- Wave7 Optics Inc. (search for Wave7 Optics) today announced that Shenandoah Telecommunications (Shentel) will use the Last Mile Link (LML) and Trident7 Optical Access Platform network equipment for new fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks.
Shentel, headquartered in Edinburg, VA, is an IOC with approximately 25,000 subscribers in its ILEC region and 20,000 subscribers in various areas served through its Converged Services subsidiary operating in the mid-Atlantic states. Shentel serves a region that is growing rapidly due to a steady population influx from the neighboring Washington, D.C./Baltimore corridor.
Shentel initially will deploy the Wave7 Optics equipment for fiber-fed subdivisions within its ILEC serving area to provide telephone service, television, and high-speed Internet. Shentel anticipates bringing its first FTTH customers online later this year.
"We issued a comprehensive technical RFP and selected Wave7 because of numerous system advantages, including compatibility with our existing technologies, total cost of ownership, and scalability as we grow," recalls Jeff Pompeo, Shentel's vice president of technology. "We believe the Trident7 will help us establish a clear edge over our competitors by providing deployment flexibility that works well in both our ILEC and CLEC configurations and allows us to combine both RF and IP television to create a great variety of compelling service offerings," he says. "This is especially important as we see tremendous growth in new FTTH opportunities in our service area."
Leveraging its extensive fiber network, Shentel will deploy the Trident7 configured for EPON (the IEEE 802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile standard)-based services. Wave7 says its Trident7 is the industry's most advanced and flexible FTTP platform; it delivers standards-based EPON and GPON technologies in the same platform, which allows service providers to cost-effectively deliver a much broader array of services compared to other access network technologies.
"The Trident7 has a low initial capital outlay and is very much a 'pay as you grow' system, which is important for operators such as Shentel, who are experiencing rapid growth as the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas spread westward," explains Emmanuel Vella, chief marketing officer for Wave7 Optics. "Having a fiber rich infrastructure and FTTP equipment such as the Trident7 will enable Shentel to offer increasingly sophisticated services to their growing customer base."
Wave7 Optics is demonstrating the capabilities of its FTTP systems at this week's TelcoTV conference and exhibition in Dallas (November 6 - 8).
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