As companies that won funding for rural broadband deployments in the Connect America Fund CAF II auction get set to undertake their deployments, equipment vendors are beginning to tout their products’ ability to support CAF II buildouts. The latest example of CAF II equipment comes from Adtran, which said its new sealed micro fiber-to-the-node platform is well suited for deployment in rural areas because of its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
“Given the range of geographic and logistical challenges involved with rural broadband service delivery, service providers responsible for CAF II build-outs seek network solutions that optimize existing infrastructure, simplify deployment and provisioning and improve the broadband experience, ultimately lowering their overall capital and operational costs,” Ovum Principal Analyst Julie Kunstler said in a press release. “Flexible, cost-effective deployment options that offer a range of benefits, as seen in the latest advancements to ADTRAN’s DSLAM portfolio, are certain to be in demand among these operators.”
The CAF II auction winners are slated to bring service to about 700,000 locations. The Adtran press release points out that the FCC has detailed plans for upgrading connectivity in rural areas and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture also is targeting rural broadband with it new $600 million loan and grant program.
Highlights of the new Adtran offering include:
- A complete portfolio from low-density (16 subscribers) sealed micro FTTN solution for rural deployments to high-density system level vectoring solutions (up to 384 subscribers across eight nodes) to serve semi-urban environments and Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs)
- Delivers up to 500Mbps services utilizing technologies such as Vectoring and Super-Vectoring to address competitive needs
- Long-reach backhaul technology extends service coverage thousands of feet from the fiber node to quickly and cost-effectively connect hard to reach rural subscribers
- Supports multiple powering options, including local and remote, with flexible built-in holdover and battery backup options, greatly reducing installation and maintenance costs
- Support for both integrated (combo) and overlay POTS, together with IPTV services, allows service providers to deliver triple play services
- integrated whole-home Wi-Fi offered
Slightly more than 100 companies had winning bids in the Connect America Fund Phase II auction. They are required to provide voice as well as broadband and are meant to be the new carriers of last resort in their respective areas.
