MAY 24, 2007 -- Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc. (search for Hitachi Telecom) says that the company's AMN1220 GPON product has been accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for deployment under the Rural Development Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Program. The acceptance was effective on May 15, 2007.
The Hitachi GPON system will be listed in the "ae - Access Equipment" category, FTTH Systems. Acceptance for the RUS program requires that the product is standards-compliant (ITU G.984.1-4 for GPON), has been deployed in a "revenue-generating service environment" with at least six months of operating experience, and is recommended by current customers.
RUS acceptance means that communities of up to 20,000 inhabitants can now install Hitachi's AMN1220 GPON fiber-to-the-premises system using funding obtained under the USDA Rural Development funding programs. GPON offers the bandwidth to support -- over a single fiber-optic cable -- multiple simultaneous HDTV channels, high-speed Internet access, and voice services.
According to Rick Schiavinato, Hitachi Telecom vice president of sales and marketing, "Hitachi's acceptance was based on our track record of successful commercial deployments dating back to June 2006. Our AMN1220 GPON product was the first ITU standards-compliant, full-rate GPON solution to be deployed in commercial service in North America. And as the first GPON product to achieve RUS acceptance, we are now the only vendor that can offer smaller communities -- under the RUS programs -- a proven GPON fiber-to-the-premises solution that can future-proof the communities' broadband infrastructure. These communities can now enjoy a bandwidth advantage over even large metro areas today, helping the communities to attract and retain industries and generate commerce."
The Broadband Access Loan program provides loans for funding the costs of construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities to provide broadband service to eligible rural communities. The mission of USDA Rural Development is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life in rural communities. Find more information on Rural Development funding programs here.
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