6 August 2003 Livermore, CA Lightwave -- Alloptic Inc., developer of passive optical networks (PONs), today announced key relationships with communication services providers Knology Inc. (West Point, GA) and Hargray (Hilton Head, SC). As early adopters of Alloptic's Ethernet PON (EPON)-based solution, Hargray and Knology have leveraged the bandwidth, reliability, and ease-of-use of the company's equipment to offer cable TV, high-speed Internet access, and local and long distance digital telephone service with enhanced voice messaging features to thousands of customers over fiber-optic facilities.
Hargray, which serves South Carolina and southeastern Georgia, deployed what Alloptic claims was the world's first commercial fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) EPON in Bluffton, SC. In evaluating Alloptic's homeGEAR 1000 equipment to offer its residential customers the full range of phone, video, and Internet access services, Hargray was instrumental in Alloptic's product evolution for the telecommunications service provider marketplace.
"As one of Alloptic's lead customers, we were able to provide specific input on our requirements and help define some of the characteristics of the Alloptic PON products," reports Joe Scruggs, chief technology officer of Hargray. "For example, we had evaluated supplier equipment that was not ruggedized for field deployment, and we needed an ONU, or optical networking unit, that could be readily mounted outside of the customer's premises without compromising the high degree of reliability demanded in such installations. That hardened configuration became one of the standard features of the Alloptic ONU, and we believe they're still the only one in the industry with that capability."
Knology Inc., provider of telephone, cable TV, and high-speed Internet services in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, has deployed EPON-based fiber-to-the-business (FTTB) services within seven cities. Alloptic's attention to the business market and its ability to natively handle true TDM service were the winning factors in Knology's decision to deploy Alloptic gear. Knology continues to expand into new markets and service offerings from T1 service to the full triple-play.
"When we looked at suppliers to help us expand our service offering, we needed a company that could give us an extended reach and a market migration path," explains Dr. Richard Luke, Knology chief technical officer. "EPON turned out to be the technology and Alloptic the supplier, because they offered everything we needed, along with unsurpassed support."
Now deployed at locations worldwide, Alloptic's Gigabit EPON has a robust architecture that supports both business and residential services. Alloptic's product line delivers data, TDMm and IP voice, and RF and IP video services over a converged, high-density, ultra-high-speed platform. The products encompass a central office chassis and a complete family of ONUs that meet the needs of a range of fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) applications.