July 12, 2006 Ottawa, Canada -- Optical systems vendor Meriton Networks announced a pair of new customers for its 6400 Optical Transport Platform (OTP). One is with Telepak Networks, Inc., a provider of voice, video, and data telecommunications and network services, in Mississippi; the other is with Buckeye TeleSystem, a facilities-based provider of telecommunications services with 1,700 route miles of fiber in Ohio.
Telepak has deployed the 6400 OTP to deliver new broadband services at rates up to 10 Gbits/sec to customers throughout the state of Mississippi. With over 1,900 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida -- states where it is certified as a competitive local exchange carrier -- Telepak Networks provides commercial broadband, Internet, and local and long-distance telephone services to other carriers, Internet service providers, universities, governmental agencies, hospitals and businesses.
The carrier selected the Meriton gear after an analysis of over a dozen vendor offerings, according to Meriton. Some of the main drivers for Telepak Networks' selection of the 6400 OTP were its optical backplane, jumperless technology, and provisioning simplicity, the system vendor asserts.
"The one-time engineering capability of the 6400 OTP is a key advantage for Telepak Networks, allowing our engineering staff to quickly and efficiently design and provision both backbone bandwidth and new services," said Tillman Rodabough III, director of commercial networks for Telepak Networks. "The inherent flexibility and ease of use of the 6400 OTP allow us to rapidly and cost-effectively keep up with our customers' changing demands for advanced broadband services."
Meanwhile, Buckeye TeleSystem will use the 6400 OTP to help leverage its multi-service infrastructure to deliver converged voice and Ethernet data services to the Toledo Public School district and to supply triple-play services at competitive prices to the surrounding residential and business customers. A sister company, Buckeye CableSystem, for years has provided video services to Toledo schools via its hybrid fiber/coax network.
The new network links 60 administrative sites and schools throughout the greater Toledo area, delivering each location with high-speed Internet access, TDM, and videoconferencing services. It is also supporting the delivery of FTTH voice, video, and data services to allow Buckeye to rapidly roll out new services based upon customer demand.
"The Meriton 6400 OTP was an ideal match for the demands of the Toledo Public School district," said Doug Ward, director-network operations at Buckeye TeleSystem. "With the Meriton platform, we save opex through the use of the automated network planning tool and we save capex by deploying fewer wavelengths through the use of ADM-on-a-Wavelength technology. Additionally, the 6400 OTP supports both optical and copper GigE interfaces, which means that it fits well into our existing network and further leverages our previous investments."
In addition to the 6400 OTP, Buckeye is leveraging the Meriton 9500 Network Planning Tool (NPT), which simplifies the design and planning process.