Rural carriers eligible for federal stimulus funds to procure infrastructure needed to build “middle mile” networks optimized for fiber-to-the-home and triple-play services
SAN JOSE, Calif., September 15, 2009 – Force10 Networks, Inc., the global technology leader that service provider, enterprise, and data center operators rely on when the network is their business, today announced its C-Series™ and E-Series® of Ethernet switch/routers have received “Technical Acceptance” and “Buy American” status by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition, the Force10 S-Series™ Ethernet access switches have also been granted “Technical Acceptance.”
Rural carriers can now procure “Accepted” equipment from the Force10 line of Ethernet switching and switch/routing platforms utilizing funding and low-cost loans from the RUS to help deliver high-speed broadband services to rural and underserved communities. The RUS and the National Telecommunications Industry Association (NTIA) are responsible for dispersing the $7.2 billion in economic stimulus funding allocated for broadband initiatives under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“Having successfully built scalable transport and carrier Ethernet networks for more than 200 rural LECs (local exchange carriers) and utilities, we know first-hand that they are on the industry’s leading edge when it comes to delivering advanced triple-play services, including IPTV,” says Henry Wasik, president and CEO, Force10 Networks. “We are pleased to now offer these and other rural carriers who are rapidly migrating toward Ethernet switch-based networks, a high performance and resilient solution with our newly RUS-Accepted C-Series and E-Series platforms.”
The Force10 family of Ethernet switching and switch/routing platforms provide industry-leading density and carrier-grade reliability, while delivering simpler networks at lower costs. By providing unmatched switching scalability to ensure predictable application performance, the solutions are ideally suited for deployments in the “middle mile” segment of a rural carriers’ infrastructure that lies between the access network and the core or head-end. This includes applications such as high-capacity Ethernet transport, as well as for the aggregation of new Ethernet/IP-based MSAPs (multi-service access platform) or DSLAMs (digital subscriber line access multiplexers) that are utilized for delivering triple play services, including IPTV, over DSL or new FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) access networks. Today’s announcement adds to the other RUS-accepted products from Force10, including the widely deployed Traverse® Multiservice Transport Platform, TraverseEdge 100 Multiservice Metro Access Multiplexer and the Adit® 600 Converged Access Gateway.
