At least part of Midwest-focused Midco’s $500 million Fiber Forward Investment will bring multigigabit connectivity to subscribers on the Midco network via Harmonic’s AI-enabled cOS virtualized broadband platform.
“Harmonic’s virtualized broadband platform supports DOCSIS and fiber from the same solution, while offering outstanding uptime and proven performance — making them the clear choice,” Midco Senior Vice President of Technology Bill Chatwell said in a press release about the network upgrade.
“Our partnership with Harmonic aligns seamlessly with our vision and roadmap for growth, empowering us to expand broadband services and deliver high-speed connectivity to our customers.”
The platform will be configured in a distributed access architecture (DAA) with Pebble Remote PHY Devices and Ripple modular DAA nodes. The press release says that the Ripple nodes will provide the Midco network with a range of fiber service delivery options.
The platform will provide Midco with a common platform for DOCSIS and fiber services and minimize hardware and power requirements. This, the press release says, will significantly reduce expenses.
The platform offers advanced telemetry that will automate workflows and real-time network visibility for proactive resolution of network issues.
A Midco spokesperson told Telecompetitor the upgrade positions the company to move to DOCSIS 4.0 “when we determine that’s the next evolution to our network.”
The spokesperson said that the goal is to add orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) downstream carriers that will support higher speeds at DOCSIS 3.1 Extended. The spokesperson added that the investment will support targeted fiber-to-the-premises deployments from the node.
Midco figures to be on the precipice of a lot of network building. The service provider has earned provisional BEAD awards in Kansas ($5,781,444 for 189 locations), Minnesota ($79,433,617 for 12,441 locations), and North Dakota ($191,501 for 22 locations).
The Midco network took a step forward in Minnesota when it signed a purchase agreement to gain assets from Savage Communications (SCI). SCI was founded in 1984 and serves almost 12,000 customers in central, eastern, and northeastern areas of the state. The company expects to pass almost 28,000 addresses by the end of the year.
