Sunday, July 25, 2004

Provo, Utah Deploys World Wide Packets for FTTP

The city of Provo, Utah has begun widescale deployments of World Wide Packets' LightningEdge suite for one of the nation's largest municipal fiber-optic service delivery networks.



World Wide Packet's solution is based on Active Ethernet, which supports a fully symmetrical, dedicated 100 Mbps connection per user. The company estimates the cost-per-subscriber for its access equipment and the fiber infrastructure is under $1,500 per home, compared to other FTTP deployments which can cost upwards of $3000 per subscriber and deliver significantly less bandwidth.



The City of Provo has employed a phased approach. The first phase created the City's metro backbone, connecting traffic signals, government buildings, schools, and power stations. The second phase was designed as a pilot program to validate construction techniques, total cost of deployment, and gauge customer demand for the phone, Internet and cable television services that were available over the fiber network. The success of the first two phases far exceeded expectations. The third phase of the program extends the broadband fiber-optic service delivery network to all the residences and businesses of Provo.



"We view the fiber network to be a critical part of the City's infrastructure, as important as sewer, water, electricity and roads," said Lewis Billings, Mayor of the City of Provo. "The fiber network and the services it enables will ensure continued economic growth and vitality for Provo and we want these benefits to be extended to every business and resident in the city."http://www.worldwidepackets.comhttp://www.iprovo.net