Infinera ATN gains RUS listing for deployment under federal rural telecom program

SUNNYVALE, USA: Infinera's ATN metro edge platform has been accepted by the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program as suitable for deployment under the USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) telecom programs. The RUS listing will enable telecom companies building rural networks under the RUS program to take advantage of the simplicity, flexibility, and ease of operations of Infinera's new ATN metro edge platform.

The USDA's Rural Development Telecommunications program provides loans and grants to support the extension of broadband networks into rural areas and to support distance learning and telemedicine initiatives.

RUS capability to promote broadband networks was expanded greatly this year by President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which appropriated $2.5 billion to the RUS, out of a total broadband stimulus budget of $7.2 billion, to extend broadband networks to unserved and underserved communities nationwide.

The Infinera ATN metro edge platform is a compact, scalable metro edge platform offering flexible configurations to simplify and accelerate network deployment. The ATN has been designed to offer best-in-class density and power consumption, and to support all metro transport services, including Ethernet, SAN, SONET/SDH, OTN and video services.

Seamless integration with the Infinera DTN platform enables an end-to-end Infinera network to deliver ease of operation, capital expenditure savings, integrated bandwidth management, and the power of a single network management system.

Infinera is supporting customers nationwide who have applied for grants to build broadband networks to unserved and underserved communities, including anchor institutions such as schools, higher education, and health care facilities. Infinera networks provide a scalable, cost-effective middle-mile solution with low-cost, simple operations ideal for the new wave of broadband networks.

The new Infinera ATN has been purchased by large and small service providers in the US and overseas. Last month, Deltacom announced it had deployed the ATN in several metro markets in the southeastern US.

"RUS listing is an important milestone for the ATN, as it will make it easier for small, rural telecom companies and other broadband consortia to deploy the ATN and take advantage of its powerful advantages in speed, simplicity, and flexibility," said Paul Morkel, Infinera Director of Product Applications.

The Infinera DTN, Infinera's optical system for long-haul and metro core networks, was approved for RUS listing in February 2009.

The Infinera family of optical solutions includes the Infinera DTN, the first optical system based on large-scale photonic integrated circuits, and the Infinera ATN, a compact metro edge platform that extends the benefits of Infinera's Digital Optical Networks to the metro edge.