Just as the baseball season heads into the playoffs, Actelis Networks scored a double play this week as independent ILEC Hargray Communications and CLEC Gulf Pines will extend their copper-based services beyond T1 access speeds with Ethernet over Copper (EoC).
First up is Hargray Communications. The independent ILEC will leverage Actelis' RUS-listed ML2300 Ethernet aggregation platforms, ML600 Ethernet Access Devices and its XR239 EFM Repeaters to replace its T1 circuits. By doing this Hargray will be able to provide higher speed services to SMBs over its existing copper network in the Hilton Head, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., markets, where it provides services as both a CLEC and an ILEC. Hargray considered EoC because SMBs, which account for 90 percent of its business customer base, were asking for higher speeds that were not possible on its legacy T1 lines
Similarly, GulfPines Communications, a Mississippi-based CLEC targeting both residential and business customers, will leverage Actelis' ML600 EADs to replace its existing T1 and DS3 circuits. Using the EoC gear, GulfPines said it was able to upgrade its network immediately to offer more enhanced broadband services and advanced service level agreements over its existing copper facilities.
While these are smaller deployments, they are lending credence to the fact that a growing number of service providers are keen on expanding their Ethernet reach by leveraging their existing facilities. And according to a recent HeavyReading report, Carrier Ethernet Access Platform (CEAP) Quarterly Market Tracker, EoC is a healthy market opportunity for both vendors such as Actelis and its service provider customers.
For more:
- see the Hargray release here
- see the Gulf Pines release here
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