4.23.09—Siren Telephone Launches FTTH Deployment with Clearfield
MINNEAPOLIS (April 23, 2009) — Siren Telephone Company (STC) announced that it is deploying a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) initiative in Siren, Wisconsin, with the help of Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD).
As part of the citywide, 3,000-access line deployment, STC has selected Clearfield’s FieldSmart Platform of Fiber Management featuring the FieldSmart Fiber Distribution System (FDS) in its Central Office. Clearfield FDS products include patch panels, interbay management panels and cable management troughs. Additionally, STC is using the Clearfield Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) in its Outside Plant (OSP) network. FSC products include OSP cross-connect cabinets, Clearview patch & splice cassettes, and OSP fiber pigtails.
“We like to use American-made products – particularly Midwestern-made,” explained General Manager Sid Sherstad. Beyond the high quality workmanship of the FieldSmart line, Sherstad applauds its timeliness. “This product is going to be very popular. I believe that every telecommunications company in the country is going to need to do what we did – that is direct fiber to the home.”
He explained that the fiber conversion is in response to its business and residential customers’ need for significantly more bandwidth to handle the demands of high definition television and high speed internet. “We can now bring them better service than they could ever get through satellite, wireless, copper wireline or coaxial. With this new bandwidth capacity, we can address future high definition needs that aren’t even available yet,” he said.
The new FTTH capability will provide STC with a competitive and sustainable edge. “Independent telephone companies can continue to use copper, which was designed for a narrow band voice network, and try to trick it to carry broadband for short distances,” he said. “But demand for broadband is going to go up and up. And there are limits to what we can put over the copper network. In today’s digital world, you need to grow with the technology, and that’s fiber.”
Sherstad appreciates the efficiency of Clearfield’s FieldSmart Platform. “Once we’ve hooked our customers up with fiber, we’re done. If they want additional features, we don’t have to physically return to the site to replace filters or traps. If they want to increase from 10 megabytes to 20, for example, we can just open up the throttle a little bit by hitting a couple keys. It’s all software-driven, and that is a beautiful thing.”
About Siren Telephone Company
Siren Telephone Company (STC) is a full-service telecommunications firm providing service to more than 3,000 access lines in northwestern Wisconsin. Established in 1910 to serve the Siren, Wisconsin, community, STC provides some of the most advanced communications products available in the marketplace, including wireless, high-definition digital television, high-speed DSL internet, long-distance, business communication systems and local service.
About Clearfield, Inc.
Clearfield, Inc. designs and manufactures the FieldSmart Fiber Management Platform, which includes its latest generation FieldSmart Fiber Distribution System (FDS), FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) and FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) series. The FDS, FSC and FDP product lines support a wide range of panel configurations, densities, connectors and adapter options, and are offered alongside an assortment of passive optical components. Clearfield provides a complete line of fiber and copper assemblies for inside plant, outside plant and access networks. Clearfield is a public company, traded on NASDAQ:CLFD.
More information about Clearfield, Inc., its products and its people can be found at http://www.ClearfieldConnection.com.
