IP UtiliNET uses Zhone FiberLAN passive optical LAN to support network security

Zhone Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZHNE) says that IP UtiliNET, LLC will use the FTTx equipment developer’s MXK and zNID-GPON systems in their passive optical LAN configurations to support enhanced campus security offerings for its customer, Club Entrepreneur (Club E) Atlanta. Deployment of the PON systems, which includes Zhone's MXK-194, zNID-GPON-2624P, and zNID-GPON-2628P, will reduce costs from an acquisition and operations perspective, Zhone adds.

Club E is an “entrepreneurial ecosystem,” located in the College Park section of Atlanta, GA. It aims to provide individuals and small startups access to office space, high-speed Internet, training opportunities, and assistance with business and financial planning.

The company recently launched a new campus security offering for its tenants, called UtiliSAFE, that integrates E-911, real-time location beacons, surveillance cameras, and related security systems. Once it implemented UtiliSAFE, Club E realized the bandwidth requirements for the supporting network would be significant -- and would grow in the future.

The passive optical LAN meets that requirement, Zhone says. By implementing the infrastructure, IP UtiliNET expanded broadband availability that extended beyond Club E's facility, supporting up to 500 users on an Ethernet port from a single chassis.

"Zhone's solutions enabled Club E to provide multiple types of security and operations solutions without the need to consider future upgrades," said David Quinn, CEO and managing director at IP UtiliNET, LLC. "Post-implementation, Club E gained a full, multi-service network with a 60-80 percent decrease in costs associated with the method of operation, and Zhone's FiberLAN product set is a key ingredient to realizing these decreases."

Zhone points out that the passive optical LAN architecture supports expansion of optical networking capabilities throughout the campus by simply extending fiber into adjacent buildings and adding equipment for coverage. The use of fiber means that Club E enjoys an aesthetic infrastructure that didn’t require a drop ceiling for a heavy cable infrastructure.

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