Press Releases
WORLD WIDE PACKETS LIGHTNINGEDGE™ SOLUTION SELECTED BY GRANT COUNTY FOR DELIVERY OF VOICE, VIDEO AND HIGH-SPEED DATA SERVICES OVER BROADBAND NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE
Grant County Public Utility Purchases 1,000 Additional World Wide Packets LightningEdge Portals for Delivery in Q2 2002
Spokane, WA and GRANT COUNTY, WA—April 9, 2002 – World Wide Packets has been awarded a contract for 1,000 LightningEdge Access Portals to be deployed in Grant County Public Utility's Zipp Network. The Zipp Network, Grant County's broadband fiber communications network, already employs World Wide Packets LightningEdge Concentrators and LightningEdge Access Portals to connect homes and businesses with advanced services using Ethernet.
Leveraging Ethernet's low-cost service delivery advantages, World Wide Packets' Ethernet to the Subscriber solution uniquely combines sophisticated traffic and device management to create service delivery solutions that support integrated and simultaneous delivery of voice, video and high-speed data services with the lowest total cost of ownership to business and residential subscribers.
"Grant County is to be commended for recognizing that the total cost of a service delivery network extends far beyond the initial capital expense", said Dave Curry, President and Chief Operating Officer of World Wide Packets. In addition to offering tiered services with bandwidth guarantees, granular accounting and billing functionality, and support of multiple simultaneous content providers, the World Wide Packets solution can significantly reduce the ongoing operational expense of a service network as compared to products designed for enterprise deployments. Curry continued, "Combined, these capabilities result in a powerful solution that will permit Grant County to maintain their cost-advantage, realize rapid subscriber growth, and continue to provide the superior service their customers have come to expect - regardless of how large the network becomes."
Grant County's Zipp Network currently supports 2,000 subscribers, with 2,000 more to be connected during the next stage of deployment. The project has proven to be extremely successful, with 6,400 businesses and residents petitioning for connection to network during a recent campaign designed to track interest - enough to schedule construction through 2005. "Grant County is pleased to enable convergent voice, video, and data over a competitive open-access Gigabit Ethernet fiber-to-the-home network using World Wide Packets' LightningEdge portal. Homeowners can now have a choice in their providers, with better service, and for less cost. Businesses, schools, and hospitals all benefit with enhanced communications. We can't build it fast enough!" said Jon Moore, Senior Telecommunications Engineer for Grant County PUD.
About World Wide Packets
World Wide Packets pioneered the adoption of Ethernet-based access networks. The company has become synonymous with solutions for "Fiber to the Subscriber®," "Ethernet to the Subscriber™" and "Ethernet in the First Mile." World Wide Packet's LightningEdge™ offering enables a single access platform for both business and residential subscribers, providing the most cost competitive broadband access solution for delivery of voice, video, and data services. World Wide Packets is a privately held corporation, established by Bernard Daines, founder of Packet Engines, Grand Junction Networks and Tidewater Associates. For more information on World Wide Packets, please visit our Web site at www.worldwidepackets.com.
World Wide Packets, Access Brilliance, LightningEdge, Ethernet to the Subscriber, ETTS, Fiber to the Subscriber, FTTS, and the World Wide Packets logo are trademarks of World Wide Packets Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About Grant County PUD
Grant County Public Utility District is a consumer-owned public utility governed by a five-member board of publicly elected Commissioners. The District is a major generating utility with two large hydroelectric developments on the Columbia River and two small generating plants on local irrigation canals. Electricity is sold on a nonprofit basis to Grant County residents and wholesale to utilities serving customers in seven Western and Northwestern states. The Zipp Network offers the citizens of Grant County more choices in digital television, high-speed Internet and telephone service from broadband service providers. Zipp creates new options for existing Grant County businesses and acts as an incentive to attract new companies seeking to grow their businesses.
Contact
World Wide Packets:
Eileen DeArmon
World Wide Packets
509.242.9270
eileen.dearmon@wwp.com
Grant County PUD:
Sarah Morford
(509) 754-0500 Ext. 2248
smorfor@gcpud.org
