Service provider TDS Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., has launched a 1-Gbps Internet service in Hollis, NH (a stone’s throw from Lightwave world headquarters in Nashua, NH, and just across the border with Massachusetts). The service, called 1Gig, leverages a GPON-based fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure built with the E7-2 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) and 700GE family of optical network terminals (ONTs) from Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX), according to the FTTx equipment provider. Actiontec, meanwhile, announced that it will supply its T2200H Universal Broadband Gateway as the preferred customer premises equipment (CPE).
TDS says Hollis is the first community in its footprint to receive the service, which will pair the 1-Gbps downstream rate with 400 Mbps upstream. When bundled with voice and video services, Hollis subscribers can receive the service for less than $100, TDS adds. Subscribers to the 1Gig service also will receive Remote PC Support for free.
The previous top data rate available in Hollis was 300 Mbps. “What can you do with 1Gig? Whatever you want,” quipped Matt Apps, manager of Internet product management and development at TDS, via a TDS press release.
TDS held a press conference May 27 at the Hollis Town Hall, attended by local and state politicians as well as company representatives, to mark inauguration of the service. “Reliable access to high-speed broadband is critical to connecting New Hampshire to the digital world,” TDS quoted U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) as saying. “It will take robust private sector investment to build out our nation’s fiber-optic network, and I applaud TDS for launching this new service in Hollis, NH.”
For its part, Calix says the New Hampshire deployment means that its equipment is being used to support 1-Gbps broadband services in 28 networks in 20 states. "TDS is another example of a forward-looking service provider that is staying ahead of the needs of its subscribers as more bandwidth-intensive applications are introduced into the market,” commented John Colvin, Calix senior vice president of North American sales, in a press statement. “With the 1Gig service, TDS will be the clear technology leader in this New Hampshire market and we are looking forward to partnering with the company as the service is expanded to other markets across the country."
TDS confirmed that it plans to roll out 1-Gbps FTTH services in other markets. “While Hollis is the first TDS-served community with 1Gig service, it won’t be the last. This is just the start for our launch of super-high speed Internet,” said Apps in the TDS press release.
For more information on FTTx equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
Want to learn more about FTTx innovation? Attend the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit
The Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit will feature panels and presentations that will illuminate where optical innovation is required in carrier and enterprise/data center networks, what it should look like, and when it might appear. A wide range of experts from the user, technology development, academic, and analyst communities will offer their views on innovation in a variety of areas, including FTTx. Find out more about the Summit, which will be held in Austin, TX, July 14-16, at the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit website.