At this point, residential gigabit service isn't new - deployments started several years ago, most notably in Chattanooga, TN, in 2010, and have been accelerating since. Speeds of 10 Gbps, however, have until now been seen solely in the business services arena. The previous residential Internet speed record holder, Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), upped the ante from 1 Gig this spring by introducing a 2 Gbps service dubbed Gigabit Pro; now Fibrant has blown its doors off.
Catawba College is the first area in Salisbury to get the 10-Gig service. Fibrant says its network now supports up to 10 Gbps services throughout Salisbury via point-to-point Ethernet technology based on Calix' E5-520 Ethernet Service Access Node (ESAN).
The municipal broadband provider rolled out 1 Gbps services in Salisbury last year, using the Calix E7-2 Ethernet Services Access Platform (ESAP). Fibrant says it plans to complement the initial point-to-point 10 Gbps technology with XGS-PON and NG-PON2 as those technologies become available, which is expected next year.
Calix has a number of gigabit deployments under its belt, mostly in small towns and rural areas, but also in larger cities such as Austin, TX, where it has deployed with Grande Communications. The Austin deployment is also based on the Calix E7-2.
