Vernon selects Extreme's BlackDiamond 20K for triple-play services

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Extreme Networks Inc. announced that the Vernon Telephone Co-operative, an independent local exchange carrier servicing customers in southwestern Wisconsin, has selected its Carrier Ethernet solutions, including the most recently announced purpose-built metro Ethernet transport switch, the BlackDiamond 20808, to deliver triple-play services to its 7,000 customers in nine rural communities.

With an increased number of customers turning to the provider for all of their communications needs, Vernon Telephone Co-operative needed to be proactive and bolster its infrastructure’s core and edge with equipment that offers the reliability and stability its customers had come to expect from it. In addition, with the anticipated growth, the new solution had to be scalable and easy to manage.

Extreme Networks has provided Vernon Telephone Co-operative with BlackDiamond 20808 metro Ethernet transport switches for the core, as well as Summit X450 aggregation switches for the edge. Vernon Telephone Co-operative delivers local and long distance telephone, Internet, and IP television services to its customers and, with the new solution in place, can now prepare for future high-bandwidth products that its broadband customers want.

"Since 1951, Vernon Telephone Co-operative has served our members with the latest services and technology and we are continuing to do that with the new Extreme Networks solution in place," said David Treptow, network engineer, Vernon Telephone Co-operative.

"The BlackDiamond 20808 is a perfect fit and the service improvements we offer are timely since people nowadays are enjoying stay-cations with family and friends as well as leaving the large cities to work from home in our picturesque rural communities. With the new BlackDiamond solution, we have enjoyed improvements in performance, reliability and scalability. With other systems, growth is costly. With Extreme Networks, we can grow our network and services not only cost-effectively but seamlessly."

“The opportunities that arise from a network upgrade are very significant for a regional service provider like Vernon Telephone Cooperative,” said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, vice president and general manager of the Scalable Products Group at Extreme Networks. “Because of our focus on Ethernet based service delivery networks, Extreme Networks is well positioned to deliver the right products, at the right cost and support level for regional providers to increase the value derived from their networks. We look forward to building many more of these relationships and making regional providers successful and profitable.”