Com Net powers GigEPAC Project with Cyan packet optical transport systems

Com Net, a wholesale provider of operation support services to video, Internet, and phone service providers in western Ohio, will use Cyan Z-Series packet-optical transport platforms and Cyan CyMS multi-layer management system for its GigE Plus Availability Coalition (GigEPAC) high-capacity fiber network, Cyan reports.

Thanks to $30 million in Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) funding, Com Net plans to add nearly 700 miles of fiber to GigEPAC’s existing optical network to expand broadband services to rural and underserved communities in 28 western Ohio counties. Com Net will use the both the Cyan Z33 packet-optical transport platform at the access edge and the Cyan Z77 platform for aggregation, metro/inter-office, and hub deployments to connect as many as 880 anchor institutions. The network also will link to the region's 33 last-mile service providers at middle-mile network speeds of up to 100 Gbps. As a result, the network should enable broadband access for approximately 737,000 households and 165,000 businesses.

"The disparity in broadband connectivity between rural and urban areas of western Ohio up until now meant that our communities' anchor institutions could not obtain broadband services. Comprehensive broadband services for the state are vital to enhancing education, retraining our displaced workforce, and preparing our future workforce to drive Ohio's economic development," said Randy Plaisier, CTO, Com Net, Inc. "We selected Cyan because the company's solutions offered the greatest combination of service flexibility, scalability and operational simplicity, which enables us to improve operational efficiency with an Ethernet-centric, multi-layer network. This combination enables us to meet our objectives to better service the western Ohio community and to ultimately bridge the broadband divide."