Thursday, March 30, 2023

Windstream completes rip-n-replace of Huawei gear

Windstream confirmed that it has now removed all Huawei equipment from its network.

Windstream’s network included Huawei gear acquired as part of its 2017 purchase of EarthLink. 

The company says the prohibited equipment represented a small fraction of its routing and transportation capability.

As a federal contractor, Windstream implemented a multi-year engineering plan to remove this equipment in 2019, before the FCC made removal mandatory. By fall 2022, all Huawei equipment had been disconnected from Windstream’s network and was no longer operative.

“As an industry leader in network intelligence and infrastructure expansion, Windstream was prepared to quickly and effectively remove the impacted equipment,” said Art Nichols, Windstream’s chief technology officer. “Our multi-pronged approach included using alternate routes, replacing equipment where necessary, and leveraging the company’s winning Fast and Flexible process.”

https://www.windstream.com