Oakland, CA — August 27, 2013 — Zhone Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZHNE), a global leader in FTTx network access solutions, today announced a new GPON deployment with NineStar Connect, a utility cooperative offering advanced telecommunications services. Located in Greenfield, Indiana, NineStar used Zhone’s MXK and zNID products to achieve higher HPNA speeds for its network. The company is also planning to deploy Zhone Unified Provisioning which will enable network management and configuration from a single point, provide massive scalability, lower fixed costs and provide a significant reduction in zNID management traffic within NineStar’s network.
Formerly Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Power, the 2011 merger that created NineStar uniquely combined an electric company and a communications company. Of note, there is only one other cooperative in the United States that offers both communications and power services.
Zhone’s products enabled more efficient communications for the cooperative, which currently offers broadband Internet, telephone, video and security solutions, as well as electric services. NineStar currently serves around 18,000 customers, with approximately 6,000 of those customers using services from both the communications and power divisions.
“Expertise in NID’s and the higher HPNA network speeds made Zhone an excellent choice for NineStar’s GPON network,” said Earl Shaw, network operations manager at NineStar Connect. “Zhone’s products gave NineStar the ability to expand service offerings and increase speed for its business and residential customers.”
“Zhone’s MXK’s and zNID’s provide truly scalable solutions which are adaptable and guarantee a high quality experience,” said Brian Caskey, chief marketing officer at Zhone Technologies. “Zhone’s robust portfolio of solutions enabled NineStar to increase the cooperative’s service value.”
Zhone has built the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of FTTx customer premise equipment, for both Active Ethernet and GPON standards, including a variety of configurations for residential, business, MDU, and cellular backhaul applications. For more information on Zhone’s innovative solutions, please visit Zhone’s FiberHome™ portfolio or go to http://www.zhone.com.
