OCTOBER 23, 2006 -- Home Telephone Co. (HomeTel) of Berkeley County, SC, has deployed the Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000RE Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) from ADVA Optical Networking (search for ADVA Optical Networking). In July 2006, ADVA acquired Movaz Networks and its RAYexpress product line, which has been renamed the FSP 3000RE.
HomeTel is an independent telecommunications company providing full-service telecommunications throughout Berkeley and Dorchester counties in South Carolina. The company, a rural independent local exchange carrier (ILEC), operates in a part of the country experiencing tremendous population growth.
"We've strived to take a very rural area and provide the same, highly advanced services our customers would find if they lived in any major metropolitan area", said Will Helmly, HomeTel's president and COO. "Our rings run through varying geography and terrain such as marshes and a national forest, making fiber replacement or addition a very serious problem. By using the FSP 3000RE, we could effectively deploy new services while minimizing future construction costs."
HomeTel's more than 1,000-sq-mi network is not only an all-digital voice network, but it also has a hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) cable distribution network. This infrastructure allows the carrier to offer customers video over DSL. In 2004, HomeTel purchased the Daniel Island Media Co., which had an ongoing FTTH network, and has committed to deploy FTTH into many of the new subdivisions. Right now, video on demand (VOD) is driving the telco's need for expanded capacity. Its next big growth push will be to IPTV, moving away from more traditional TDM-based circuits to IP-based circuits.
"This application is a clear indication of the value flexible optical networks bring to today's carrier," stated Brian P. McCann, ADVA Optical Networking's chief strategy and marketing officer. "In a region of the country where population is exploding, HomeTel's network must be ready for expansion and for delivery of today's advanced services. With DWDM overlay on exhausted SONET fiber rings, our technology assists HomeTel meet both its corporate and financial goals."
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