APRIL 23, 2009 -- Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. (search Lightwave for Fujitsu Network Communications), which supplies optical and wireless networking technologies, has announced that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted "RUS Technical Acceptance" to the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE 7500 reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM). By adding the platform to the RUS List of Acceptable Materials (Telecommunications), the USDA has made it easier for rural communities to use federal stimulus funds to create next-generation optical networks that can bring video, residential broadband, enterprise connectivity, and other advanced services to underserved markets.
Other Fujitsu products currently on the RUS list include the FLASHWAVE 4500 multiservice provisioning platform (MSPP), the FLASHWAVE 4300 optical aggregation platform, the FLASHWAVE 4100 optical access platform, the FLASHWAVE 4010 remote SONET extension platform, the FLASHWAVE 7120 managed wavelength system, and the FLASHWAVE 7420 DWDM platform.
The RUS provides independent and rural utilities and telecommunications service providers with low-interest financing to assist in the purchase of new equipment. The financing serves to keep deployment costs down, and the savings can be passed to consumers and foster competition with services offered by larger regional and national carriers. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 includes an allocation of more than $7 billion for broadband initiatives, and all Fujitsu platforms on the RUS List of Acceptable Materials are eligible for purchase using federal stimulus funds.
"Our FLASHWAVE 7500 ROADM is widely deployed by many of the world's largest cable/MSOs and telecom companies, but now that our platform is on the RUS List of Acceptable Materials, rural service providers can finally reap many of the same reliability and scalability benefits in their own networks," says Doug Moore, senior vice president of marketing at Fujitsu Network Communications. "The advanced ROADM, optical hubbing, and 40G transport capabilities of the FLASHWAVE 7500 platform will help bring exciting new broadband services to rural communities while keeping costs in control for the carriers who serve them."
Rural broadband access has been gaining significant attention with the passage of the ARRA of 2009. To assist rural broadband providers, Fujitsu willl sponsor a live broadcast from Washington, DC on Monday, April 27, 2009 at 4:00 PM Eastern time to discuss selection criteria and application strategies for the two broadband-related programs funded through the ARRA. Panel attendees will include experts and practitioners with Washington policy experience to help attendees prepare a focused application that reflects the nature of each agency's program and the intent of the stimulus law. Registration for this free event can be found at www.bulldogsolutions.net/Fujitsu/FNC04272009/frmRegistration.aspx?bdls=19150.