Armstrong advances 10G fiber strategy with Adtran’s XGS-PON solution

Adtran®, Inc., (NASDAQ: ADTN), the leading provider of next-generation multigigabit fiber and fiber extension broadband access solutions, today announced Armstrong is leveraging the Adtran Total Access 5000 (TA5000) 10Gbit/s fiber access platform with XGS-PON technology to increase competitiveness, market share and the capabilities of its broadband service. Adtran’s solution introduces XGS-PON technology that provides Armstrong with the best long-term fiber broadband investment to support current and future bandwidth demands across its six-state service region.

Armstrong is the 11th largest multiple system operator (MSO) in the US and provides cable television, high-speed ZOOM internet with enhanced Wi-Fi and telephone services to residential and commercial customers in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The MSO continuously invests in its network to ensure it is prepared to support subscriber demands. For example, it never could have anticipated the Covid-19 pandemic or the resulting escalation in at-home internet usage. Since Armstrong had already invested in fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) with GPON and engineered its network to be agile and scalable, it only took a few small overnight adjustments to mitigate potential congestion caused by an exponential spike in internet traffic.

Looking beyond 2020, Armstrong knew that new broadband demands would continue to surface, so it looked for a solution that offered the flexibility to easily grow capacity further. More specifically, Armstrong wanted the ability to overlay XGS-PON on the same fiber network as GPON while supporting both CPE types to best serve current subscribers and future bandwidth demands.

“Over the past fifteen years Armstrong has evolved toward a fiber-to-the-premises architecture to support many wavelengths of light on the same glass,” said Mike Giobbi, CTO at Armstrong. “In collaboration with Adtran, Armstrong has deployed PON technology with GPON to deliver speeds over 2Gbit/s downstream and 1.25Gbit/s upstream. We are now overlaying XGS-PON technology with the capacity of symmetrical 10Gbit/s downstream and upstream on the same fiber strand into homes and businesses with GPON. Armstrong has reached the 10Gbit/s platform the cable industry has committed to deploying.”

Adtran’s Combo PON technology simplifies Armstrong’s migration from GPON to XGS-PON because it simultaneously delivers both GPON and XGS-PON services on the same optical distribution network. While the town of Wexford, Pennsylvania, will be the first to benefit from Armstrong’s 10Gbit/s service, the simplicity of introducing Combo PON will play a key role in serving the varied mix of customers and deployment scenarios across Armstrong’s six-state service coverage area.

“Adtran enables every type of service provider to build the network that is best for their unique situation. Combo PON is the best way to introduce XGS-PON, which made Adtran the right partner for Armstrong’s 10Gbit/s network enhancement,” said Craig Stein, VP of sales for Adtran. “We’re thrilled to see Armstrong benefit from this technology. It will increase the return on their fiber investment by rapidly onboarding our modern 10Gbit/s FTTH technology that will provide much higher bandwidth, including symmetrical multigigabit speeds. This will allow Armstrong to connect residents and businesses to valuable new service options and beat its competition to the 10Gbit/s future, while delivering amazing broadband experiences for all of Armstrong’s customers.”