SANTA BARBARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Occam Networks®, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCNW), announced today that Wabash Mutual Telephone , a subscriber-owned telephone exchange in Mercer County, Ohio, has chosen Occam and its BLC 6000 multiservice access platform (MSAP) to expand broadband services in west central Ohio. As part of a $4.3 million broadband stimulus fiber project, Wabash will provide digital television, high-speed Internet and voice services to Fort Recovery and the surrounding area. The project will be funded through a combination of Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grants and loans and will increase broadband access in areas that currently have limited access to high-speed service.
“In addition to our residential customers, Fort Recovery is home to several major businesses including a worldwide distributor of farming equipment, one of the top ten egg production companies in the United States, an automotive parts manufacturer and a die cast facility,” said Mike Boley, CEO of Wabash Mutual Telephone. “What our customers all have in common is the need for higher speed access. Occam is the perfect partner to help us achieve this goal with products that are easy to use and manage, scalable and in general–very carrier-class. Having been a phone company for 99 years, we know what that is.”
As a long-time Occam partner, Wabash Mutual Telephone began rolling out triple-play services using Occam’s products in 2005, when the company chose Occam’s solution over products from three other vendors. Occam has been working with the company ever since to help Wabash Mutual Tel expand its service footprint and migrate to an all IP network.
“Wabash Mutual Telephone has a rich history of bringing the best service experience to all customers regardless of their location,” said Juan Vela, Director, Solutions Marketing and Strategy for Occam Networks. “Occam shares a common vision with Wabash that higher bandwidth services are needed in rural areas to improve community services, business opportunities and educational facilities. We will continue to work with rural providers to eliminate the digital divide and ensure all communities have access to higher speed broadband services.”
Work on the Fort Recovery project has already begun and is expected to be completed in less than three years. Wabash plans to begin turning up its first services before the end of the year. For the deployment, Wabash will utilize Ethernet technologies on Occam’s BLC 6000 MSAP including a mix of GigE/10GigE capable Ethernet Optical Line Terminals (OLTs). Residential, business and community organization environments will be supported by the ON 2342 Optical Network Terminal (ONT).
