AUGUST 14, 2009 -- South Dakota's Midstate Communications has selected Clearfield (search Lightwave for Clearfield) and its FieldSmart fiber management platform for a three-year fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment. Headquartered in Kimball, SD, Midstate provides telecommunications technology and services to approximately 5,000 access lines in 11 exchanges throughout central South Dakota.
According to Midstate plant manager Fay Jandreau, the deployment is part of a brownfield overbuild in and around the Platte, SD area, which will encompass approximately 250 miles of construction. "Our customers want more bandwidth and higher Internet speed. With this deployment, we will bring customers faster Internet speed -- with each service being customized to each customer's needs. We will also bring a full host of video services that we previously did not provide."
Jandreau says that Midstate selected Clearfield for the deployment because fiber management is a significant issue while overbuilding an exchange with fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology. He noted that the design of the Clearfield Fiber Distribution System (FDS) patch panels fits well within the service provider's overall fiber management plan.
Midstate, which is deploying an active technology using Occam Networks (search Lightwave for (Occam Networks), selected Clearfield's complete FieldSmart system including frames, interbay management, and the FieldSmart FDS 144-port fiber patch panels. The company has also purchased Clearfield's network interface device (NID) outside plant (OSP) bend-insensitive fiber pigtails. "Clearfield provides very clean routing avenues for jumpers on the front side and an easy-to-read labeling system. And the pigtails exit the rear of the patch panel in a very orderly fashion," Jandreau says.
He explains that Midstate ordered all of its patch panels with preterminated pigtails. This offered the appearance the company desired and the protection of the secure fiber connections it required. "This very professional approach to our fiber management has a direct effect on our network's performance by avoiding downtime through lost optical connectivity." Jandreau also cited Clearfield's customer service as a factor in the decision.
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