March 27, 2006 Norcross, GA -- Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, a full-service utility provider for the municipality of Bristol, has deployed ETI Software Solutions' Triad, a service activation system, to automate the provisioning of a FTTP network and digital television services. The utility expects to roll out digital cable television and broadband Internet services to more than 20,000 business and residential customers over the next four years via its FTTP network.
"ETI's Triad was a compelling choice to meet our provisioning requirements as we expand our services beyond those traditionally delivered by a utility," comments Dr. R. Michael Browder, general manager of BTES. "With the volume of subscribers we're forecasting and the complexities of the technologies we're deploying, anything less than fully automated, flow-through provisioning was a not an option. With Triad, we found a solution that offers comprehensive support of all our technologies out-of-the-box, so our project risk was essentially eliminated."
ETI says it Triad system provides "comprehensive interface support" to automate the complex provisioning processes for BTES's FTTP network. The system automates activation of all service ports on the optical network terminal (ONT), the termination point of the fiber network at the customer's service location. More than "just a simple provisioning interface," ETI says the system incorporates "a highly sophisticated and feature-rich integration to the FTTP system," supporting advanced features including automatic software downloads, dynamic switching between VLAN and virtual channel (based on card type), alarm monitoring, and multi-LAN support.
According to ETI, the Triad system also supports activation of digital set-top boxes (D-STBs). When new service orders are taken, the system automates the provisioning of not only the ONT's RF port, but also of the D-STBs that reside behind it, so that all services are delivered "consistently error-free and instantaneously." Additionally, in the BTES implementation, ETI says that the system maintains the utility's pay-per-view (PPV) schedule, collecting and downloading PPV purchases to a billing system.
"Municipal utilities are in a unique position to deliver FTTH services to under-serviced areas while enhancing their portfolio of product offerings," remarks Peter M. Pifer, CEO of ETI. "Triad provides utilities such as BTES with an affordable automation tool that enables them to quickly and effectively deliver new services while future-proofing their infrastructure for additional services."