Ritter expands regional fiber network with packet-optical technologies from Ciena

Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) says Ritter Communications, an Arkansas-based communications provider, has deployed Ciena’s packet networking and converged packet-optical technologies throughout its regional fiber-optic network serving over 25,000 Internet subscribers in Arkansas and west Tennessee.

With the combination of packet networking and converged packet optical transport, the expanded network will carriers with advanced Ethernet service delivery and a cost-effective means to transport high-speed data services while also enabling cellular backhaul and business services, Ciena says.

Ritter is a fifth-generation family business founded in 1886. Today, Ritter owns and operates two rural local exchange carriers (RLECs) in northeast and north central Arkansas, a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) and a fiber-optic network in Jonesboro, AR. In December 2012, Ritter completed its purchase of Millington Telephone Co., Inc. and Millington CATV, Inc. which represents approximately 20,000 business and residential customers in parts of Shelby, Tipton, Haywood, and Fayette counties in West Tennessee.

Ciena says its packet networking platforms, including its 5150 Service Aggregation Switch and 3930 Service Delivery Switch, provide Ritter with increased scalability and protection of services needed to meet their growing end-user demands. The platforms support leading operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) standards, and provide service level agreement (SLA) insights, allowing Ritter to ensure more accurate service management and fault isolation across a greater number of services.

Ritter is also using Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform to increase capacity and support the mobile backhaul demands of two Tier 1 U.S. wireless carriers and their migration to 4G services. The 6500 allows Ritter to scale capacity and program its network to deliver 10G and 40G wavelength services today, with the ability to scale to 100G in the future.

Ritter will also leverage packet networking capabilities recently made available on the 6500 platform, which enable several Carrier Ethernet functions and provide Ritter with a cost-effective means to transport optical traffic and Ethernet services without the need to install additional Ethernet switches.

Ritter’s expanded network will provide high-speed, low-latency broadband and business Ethernet services to businesses and residents in areas of Arkansas and west Tennessee which are currently faced with connectivity limitations due to a lack of resources and geographic challenges such as the divide caused by the Mississippi River.

Ciena is also providing Ritter with its network management software and a range of professional services for this deployment via its Ciena Specialist Services portfolio, including installation, turn-up, and testing.

“We are seeing a substantial increase in the demand for broadband connectivity as new innovations in the form of distance learning, telehealth and e-commerce take hold,” said Steve Smith, vice president of sales, Ritter Communications. “By deploying a combination of Ciena’s packet networking and converged packet optical portfolio solutions, we are ensuring that our customers across Arkansas and western Tennessee have a reliable network that has the intelligence to scale appropriately and efficiently to meet these requirements today, and in the future. Our customers are thrilled that we are bringing the benefits of a super direct, low-latency, high-speed broadband network to their doorstep.”

For more information on packet-optical systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.