Blue Ridge Communications, which provides broadband services in rural Western Pennsylvania, has decided to overbuild its hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network with a fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure. With its first FTTH deployment completed in the town of Westfield, Blue Ridge will continue the project using elements of the Calix (NYSE: CALX) Intelligent Access EDGE portfolio, according to the broadband technology provider.
The replacement effort will see Blue Ridge convert from DOCSIS 3.1 HFC to FTTH over 8000 miles of installed infrastructure that passes more than 250,000 homes. The service provider will leverage the Calix DOCSIS Provisioning Connector (DPx; see "Calix AXOS DPx Connector links access network SDN to existing DOCSIS environments" on sister site Broadband Technology Report) to ease the transition. When completed, the FTTH deployment will enable support of symmetrical 10-Gbps transmission.
The move will save as much as 50% in opex and up to 90% in power consumption over the current HFC network, says Calix.
“We always have our eye toward the future, and with this decision, we are looking to future-proof our network,” commented Mark Masenheimer, Blue Ridge’s vice president of operations. “We believe the need for speed and bandwidth will continue to increase as more and more people work, learn, and are entertained at home. Fiber allows for ultra-fast symmetrical speeds and increased network reliability as well as the added environmental benefits of lower power consumption. It is the next logical step in the evolution of our network. The key is for our customers to enjoy a first-class broadband experience for years to come and the close partnership forged between our team and Calix throughout the Westfield deployment and the initial rebuild has been key to that enablement.”
“Broadband service providers like Blue Ridge Communications increasingly recognize the need to invest in fiber as more and more of their subscribers shift to broadband-centric experiences. They need to bridge their operations from older coax networks to high-speed symmetrical broadband,” added Mark Dressler, senior vice president, global sales, for Calix. “Thanks to the power of Calix Intelligent Access EDGE, Blue Ridge Communications can reconfigure its network architecture without impacting operations, providing a seamless path from legacy coax to a future-proof fiber network that will serve its communities for decades to come.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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