SUNNYVALE, CA–(Marketwire – July 20, 2010) – Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) has deployed Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) for a federally-funded broadband stimulus network in southern Virginia to deliver the speed, flexibility, and cost-effective scalable bandwidth of an Infinera network to schools in southern Virginia.
MBC won a $16 million grant in the first round of the federal broadband stimulus program for a proposal to deliver advanced open-access middle-mile services for 121 K-12 schools in southern Virginia. MBC has moved quickly to implement the project, hiring four new staff members to manage the project, and developing a construction plan for new fiber builds to schools and unserved communities. MBC chief executive Tad Deriso expects the construction work to create around 75 new temporary jobs. Construction work is scheduled to begin later this year, as soon as all federal approvals are secured.
MBC deployed an Infinera DTN network on its 800-mile regional network providing middle-mile connectivity in southern Virginia and to key carrier interconnection points in northern Virginia and the southeast. The MBC network, which went live in 2006, was cited by President Obama last December as an outstanding example of how publicly-supported middle-mile broadband networks can bring economic and social benefits to unserved, underserved, and economically disadvantaged communities.
“We are moving as quickly as we can to roll out our broadband stimulus network and bring the advantages of open-access middle-mile network connectivity to all K-12 schools in southern Virginia,” said MBC President & CEO Tad Deriso. “Infinera was a natural choice for us, with its industry-leading speed of deployment and simplicity of operations. Our experience with our existing Infinera network has been first-rate and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the company on this and other expansions.”
“MBC has already proved that broadband networks are an important asset for rural and disadvantaged communities and we are proud to support the company and the people of Virginia with an Infinera network,” said Infinera co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Dave Welch. “The Infinera DTN was designed from the ground up to deliver unprecedented ease of operation, based on our unique photonic integrated circuits, an innovative technology which was developed and is manufactured in Sunnyvale, California.”
The Infinera DTN is the first, and still the only, optical networking system powered by photonic integrated circuits. The Infinera DTN combines high-capacity DWDM transport, integrated digital bandwidth management, and GMPLS-powered service intelligence in a single platform.
This week, Infinera will exhibit at the Tri-State Telecommunications Conference July 20-21 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Infinera will also exhibit at the 47th Annual OPASTCO Conference next week in Seattle, Washington July 24-28. For more information or to schedule a meeting, contact Anna Vue at [email protected].
For further information on MBC, the services it is enabling in Virginia, and its Infinera network, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJwRkfnfcic.
