Telco-Grade Reliability Gives Service Providers Renewed Opportunity
for Public Wi-Fi Projects
Zhone Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZHNE), a global leader in network
access solutions, announced today that its SkyZhone(™)
telco-grade Wi-Fi system is the latest Zhone product to be accepted by
the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for use
by RUS program participants. RUS provides grants and low cost loans to
help network operators secure authorized equipment to bring universal
broadband services to rural and underserved communities. RUS and the
National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) will disperse
the $7.2 billion in economic stimulus funding allocated for broadband
initiatives under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Awarded
for technology innovation, SkyZhone’s breakthrough design greatly
enhances both the performance and economics of Wi-Fi, giving network
operators renewed opportunities for service delivery. SkyZhone is the
only Wi-Fi system to provide integrated DSL backhaul and line powering,
combined with an 802.11n, all-MIMO antenna architecture. This means,
network operators can leverage existing backhaul facilities to deliver
high capacity Wi-Fi services with greater flexibility in radio
placement. Engineered for public safety applications, SkyZhone provides
telco-grade uptime and ongoing operation even during extended AC power
outages.
Rural telecom provider, Manti Tele Communications Company (MTCC)
recently deployed the SkyZhone Wi-Fi system to support a number of
public-service and commercial applications in Manti, Utah.
“We first attempted to provide municipal wireless services with a mesh
Wi-Fi system from another vendor, but the installation was problematic
and we had a challenge getting the complex radio network to work well,”
said Dallas Cox, Director of Support and Advertising for Manti Tele
Communications Company (MTCC). “Installation and turn-up of the SkyZhone
system was smooth and the coverage, capacity and performance are
outstanding.”
“SkyZhone provides RUS participants an ideal opportunity to deliver on
the vision of reliable public Wi-Fi access,” said Steven Glapa, VP of
product marketing and management for Zhone.
