Alloptic is the latest optical networking company to have its RF over glass (RFoG) and passive optical networking (PON) products approved by the government for use by service providers offering expanded broadband access.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) provides low-interest financing to rural telephone companies for telecommunications infrastructure in smaller communities throughout the United States. In addition, the USDA administers a technical acceptance process to ensure that products will perform well in these networks before including them in their List of Acceptable Materials. Products may also conform to a “Buy American” provision that indicates the United States as the source.
Alloptic products have met all of the necessary RUS requirements to satisfy both technical and “Buy American” listing requirements, including its MicroNode RFoG ONUs, return path receivers and transmitters, and its EDFA and DCF optical amplifiers.
Listed products are qualified to receive financing on projects funded by the Rural Telecom Infrastructure and the Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Programs. RUS listing also qualifies Alloptic products for deployment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Within the ARRA, RUS is managing the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), with a total of $2.5 billion to be awarded to build broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved rural areas.
“Alloptic was the first EPON equipment vendor to receive USDA Rural Development acceptance and is very proud to now have our complete EPON and RFoG product lines on the USDA List of Acceptable Materials,” says Shane Eleniak, executive vice president of marketing and business development at Alloptic.
Among other companies to recently get their optical networking products certified by the RUS are Aurora Networks and CommScope.
