DZS, Irby Utilities deploy broadband to over 12,000 subscribers in Arkansas, Mississippi
DZS, a global provider of access, optical and cloud-controlled software defined solutions, and its partner Irby Utilities (Irby) announced deployment reached by two of their rural electric cooperative broadband customers. Connect2First, a subsidiary of First Electric Cooperative in central and southeastern Arkansas, and FASTnet, an internet service provider (ISP) launched by 4-County Electric Power Association (4CEPA) in central Mississippi.
Each have deployed hyper-fast broadband to over 12,000 subscribers to date, more than doubling their respective homes passed over the last year.
Both service providers are leveraging Irby’s broadband network planning and deployment expertise along with multi-gigabit capable DZS technology solutions and a total of more than [$53 million (€48.41 million)] in Rural Digital Opportunity Funds (RDOF) plus other government funding programmes like the Coronavirus Aid, relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to bring services to more than 140,000 homes, businesses and anchor institutions between their two service areas. Each project currently stands well ahead of schedule.
“The DZS/Irby combination of industry-leading technology and expertise—plus strong local support and manufacturing logistics—has been a hands-down winner for Connect2First,” says Randy Everett, general manager, Connect2First. “Not only are we providing hyper-fast internet and phone service to improve the quality of life and economic prospects for the highest-need homes and businesses in our service area, but we’ve also already deployed more than 60% of our total buildout miles and added more than 8,500 subscribers in the past twelve months.”
“With DZS and Irby, FASTnet is rolling out transformational, gigabit-class broadband to our formerly underserved members while laying the groundwork for future upgrades to 10-Gig speeds and beyond,” says Brian Clark, CEO and general manager, FASTnet. “In our geographically diverse and challenging service area, this has required innovative tactics and technology. For example, to cross the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which divides our service area, Irby literally shot fibre across the river.”
“These on-time and on-budget FASTnet and Connect2First rollouts demonstrate how well the DZS/Irby recipe for success works for many electric cooperatives and other operators looking to bring high-speed optical fibre to unserved and underserved constituents,” says Geoff Burke, SVP product marketing and government affairs, DZS. “Future-ready DZS solutions provide a rock-solid platform for long-term competitive differentiation, while at the same time redefining the economics of network evolution in rural environments. DZS proudly looks forward to growing our partnership with Irby and serving fast-growing, innovative initiatives like those implemented by FASTnet and Connect2First that are closing the digital divide across the U.S. and around the globe.”
“FASTnet and Connect2First’s incredible progress are a result of their hard work and determination, as well as the value of strategic partners like Irby and DZS,” says Patrick Reams, VP of technology and communications, Irby Utilities. “From a fibre project’s inception, Irby and DZS account for the network’s entire lifespan: today’s grant funding, logistics, and end-user need, and tomorrow’s supply chain, speed demands, and inevitable hardware/software upgrades. We combine these variables into one sustainable, dependable network that fast-tracks growth to underserved areas and easily scales with internet subsidiaries like Connect2First and FASTnet.”
Irby and DZS are helping Connect2First and FASTnet plan for and deploy Access and Subscriber Edge solutions which include:
- DZS Velocity Broadband Access Edge solutions. DZS Velocity V14 multi-terabit systems, featuring environmentally hardened fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) optical line terminal (OLT) line cards that support multi-gigabit services leveraging gigabit passive optical networking (GPON), 10-gigabit symmetrical PON (XGS-PON), and combo technologies.
- DZS Helix Subscriber Edge solutions. DZS optical network terminals (ONTs) provide wired connectivity within the home, while advanced DZS Mesh technology enables carrier-class WiFi networks for whole-home coverage and small business use.
DZS and Irby prepare utility cooperatives and other broadband providers for the future of broadband, focusing on non-disruptive upgrades that leverage existing investments and accommodate multi-vendor scenarios as well as emerging service demands that require low latency and massive bandwidth. DZS and Irby have also demonstrated an exceptional track record of supporting their mutual customers to leverage government programs like RDOF, the CARES Act, ReConnect loans and grants, and Capital Projects Funds to help offset costs.
To learn more about DZS, visit DZS.
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