Whidbey Telecom taps Ekinops to enhance its middle mile network capacity
Whidbey Telecom traces its routes to 1908, when it was founded as Whidey Telephone Company, and has never been one to shy away from new network advances. Its work with Ekinops to update its middle mile network shows that spirit is alive and well today.
The service provider is deploying aggregation and transport solutions from Ekinops to upgrade critical areas of its middle mile network that connects its new FTTH sites to regional Internet exchanges that are remotely located.
Managed by Celestis NMS, Ekinops’ transport network management tool, the Ekinops360 with the PM_600FRS06-SF FlexRate™ Muxponder will provide up to 600G of WDM transport capacity per channel throughout the Whidbey service area over spans up to 90Km in length including an undersea span across the Salish Sea. In contrast, lower-speed cards provide service aggregation at the edge.
New service opportunities
This update is critical for Whidbey as the provider serves hard-to-reach locations outside the Seattle metro region.
Despite their proximity to a central urban area, South Whidbey, Hat Island, and Point Roberts are considered rural and underserved due to their geographical remoteness.
Donna Hilty, COO of Whidbey Telecom, said the middle mile expansion with Ekinops is part of the telco's broader initiative to support its FTTH initiative and serve other service providers with wholesale services.
"This expansion will fully support our broadband initiatives and is just the first phase of a strategic build for Whidbey Telecom," said Donna Hilty, COO of Whidbey Telecom, in a release announcing its deal with Ekinops. "It will also allow us to expand our wholesale service business providing backhaul services over our fiber network to our partner service providers as far away as Alaska."
Focus on fiber
Whidbey’s focus on fiber broadband is just one of many network advances the telco has made in its 116-year history.
The service provider began building FTTH in 2016 and is partnering with local trade schools to develop its next-generation workforce to make service to more locations.
The telco was an early advocate of microwave transmission, submarine cables, and the first telephone company west of the Rocky Mountains to offer Internet services.
Like other rural-facing telcos, Whidbey will also leverage BEAD funding to enhance the reach of its FTTH network.
Washington State was awarded $1 billion in BEAD funding. These new federal funds pair with ongoing work on the state’s BEAD five-year action plan and a Statewide Digital Equity Plan, which will inform how Washington proposes to use the infrastructure funds for broadband construction projects.
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Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.