Actelis Networks’ T1 Line Replacement Solution Helps Hargray Communications Significantly Boost Broadband Services to Business Customers
Actelis solution enables 30 Mbps compared to 1.5 Mbps over the same two copper pairs.
FREMONT, Calif., October 1, 2009 - Actelis Networks®, the leading global supplier of Ethernet over copper solutions, today announced that Hargray Communications , a provider of high-speed Internet and VOIP (Voice over IP) services to business and residential customers in South Carolina and Georgia, has deployed the company’s RUS-listed ML2300 Ethernet aggregation platforms, ML600 Ethernet Access Devices (EADs) and its XR239 EFM Repeaters to replace its low-bandwidth T1 lines. By taking advantage of Actelis’ industry-leading rate, reach and reliability, the move enables Hargray to immediately and cost effectively provide best-in-class business broadband services to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, regions where it operates as both a CLEC and ILEC.
The adoption of Actelis’ T1 line replacement solution was a vital move for Hargray, given that SMBs account for 90% of its business and were requiring much higher bandwidth and Quality of Service (QoS) than was possible over their legacy T1 lines. The Actelis solution enables Hargray to offers services up to 30 Mbps utilizing two copper pairs bonded together, compared to only 1.5 Mbps a T1 line delivers over the same two pairs.
“Our customers needed more bandwidth to run the applications that drive their businesses on a daily basis,” said Tony Stout, network engineering manager at Hargray. “We needed to immediately increase their bandwidth by as much as 10 to 20 times what their existing T1 lines offered, and bonding existing T1 circuits together was not an option. With Actelis’ T1 line replacement solution, we were able to leverage the same copper infrastructure to easily and economically deliver the required bandwidth, with improved Quality of Service and greater coverage to our customers.”
Actelis scored higher than its competitors on Quality of Service, and also in supporting advanced remote monitoring functions defined by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), according to Stout. Another significant factor in the selection of Actelis was deployment of its standards-compliant XR239 EFM Repeaters, which enable the delivery of higher speed services at great distances. This allowed Hargray to reach business customers previously beyond the range of legacy T1 services.
“ Actelis’ XR239 EFM Repeaters provide a very simple, clean solution,” commented Stout. “We have some locations where we needed to reach distances beyond four miles. With the Actelis repeaters, we can hit these distances and deliver speeds above 5 Mbps per copper pair. This is very significant as it allows Hargray to deliver high-bandwidth services to customers that were previously denied broadband service due to their geographic location. These new high-speed broadband services are already paying dividends to our company in terms of additional revenues and reduced operating expenses.”
Apart from repeaters, Hargray has deployed Actelis’ ML2300 aggregation platform in larger, remote central offices, and Actelis’ smaller, compact ML130 for medium-sized offices, with individual two, four and eight-port modems in small cabinets to run out to customers. Actelis complete EFM over copper portfolio delivers new services such as point-to-point Ethernet Private Line (EPL), point-to-multipoint Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), VoIP, and enhanced high-speed Internet.
“We are very pleased to be providing our latest solutions to Hargray, who was an early adopter of Actelis’ Ethernet over copper solutions,” said Joe Manuele, senior vice president of worldwide sales and customer support at Actelis. “Once again, Hargray has shown their innovative leadership by leveraging existing copper infrastructure assets to deliver more services to its valued customers that will generate new revenue streams while keeping costs down.”
The move to deploy Actelis’ EFM over copper solutions has reduced Hargray’s OPEX, partly as a result of improved troubleshooting and the ability to diagnose 95% of problems remotely, according to Stout. This means that the adoption of Actelis has allowed Hargray to achieve the greatest rate, reach and reliability (The 3Rs of EFM™) achievable over the copper infrastructure, enabled only by Actelis’ innovative and standards-compliant EFMplus™ technology.
About Hargray Communications
Hargray is a carrier operating as ILEC, CLEC, MSO, and ISP in the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia regions. Hargray provides a wide range of services, including land line telephony, high-speed Internet, cable television, and cellular phone, as well as business Ethernet and VoIP. Its coverage spans a 70-mile radius and a population of about 150,000. Learn more at www.hargray.com.