Allied Telesyn 'One Platform/Any Service' Solution Enables Hybrid Active and Passive Fiber Overbuild in Blue Ridge Mountains.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- North Carolina/Tennessee ILEC chooses iMAP for Expansive Migration to an all-Fiber Triple Play Delivery Network

Allied Telesyn, a global provider of secure Ethernet/IP access solutions and an industry leader in the deployment of IP Triple Play networks over copper and fiber infrastructure, today announced that SkyLine Telephone Membership Corporation, an ILEC located in northwestern North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, has chosen Allied Telesyn's iMAP integrated Multiservice Access Platform to upgrade its copper plant to a hybrid fiber infrastructure. The new 100Mb FTTH delivery network will support both active Ethernet and passive GEPON protocols over Allied Telesyn's 10 Gigabit transport to bring high-quality voice, video and data to more than 37,000 subscribers in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The RUS-accepted iMAP integrated Multiservice Access Platform is a NEBS-certified, environmentally-hardened access solution that delivers carrier-class next-generation and traditional telco services over IP. The iMAP accommodates both fiber and copper-based deployments from a single platform. Ideal for new access deployments and upgrades, the iMAP features a modular chassis design that simultaneously supports different applications from IP access, Ethernet transport, and network aggregation. Carriers can utilize the iMAP over all OSP infrastructures using the latest in Ethernet/IP standardized, field-proven, protocols. By deploying the iMAP, carriers can be assured they are deploying the latest technologies with a carrier-class platform that ensures the integrity of the network.

SkyLine's decision to overbuild their existing copper infrastructure with fiber was strategic, says CTO Jimmy Blevins. "Our goal is to be the ultimate broadband provider in our serving area," he explains, "and to do that we know we need to make the move to fiber. We already have some existing passive fiber infrastructure, so we decided to simply build on that. We wanted to add active point-to-point fiber for the future, and we needed a solution where we could combine both of those into one integrated network."

Allied Telesyn was able to provide that synergy.

"We had RFPs from three short-listed vendors who brought their solutions in for testing," says Blevins. "We wanted a vendor that we could feel comfortable with in several areas: one who could meet our immediate technology needs and one with a roadmap of where they are going. We were looking for a partner we can rely on to support us now, and produce the products that will meet our needs down the road. In the end Allied Telesyn was the company we felt most comfortable with and the one we felt could best satisfy our needs."

"Allied Telesyn has a clear vision of the future of broadband service delivery," says Allied Telesyn's Executive Vice President of Marketing and Product Development Philip Yim. "Our product roadmap is designed to keep our products at the leading edge of Service Provider technology. The iMAP is the ideal solution for that, not just because it is IP-based, which gives it remarkable flexibility, but also because of the carrier-grade IP chassis-design. It supports a broad selection of plug-and-play applications that we are always expanding as technology evolves, including xDSL, FTTx, POTS, VoIP, T1/E1, SHDSL, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10G transport. It lets ILECs migrate to new IP technology without forklift upgrades."

"We liked Allied's ability to support both PON and active architectures on one platform," Blevins continues. "We liked the fact that they had integrated transport and access on one platform. We were pleasantly surprised during the trial period at the ease of turning up POTS, video, and data to the residential gateway. Plus, Allied's support during the trial period was excellent. They were responsive to any problems that came up, and the whole process went extremely smoothly."

Blevins and his team were supported in their project by CBW Communications Engineers, Inc., of Charlotte, NC. Executive Vice President William Wiltsee acknowledges the suitability of the Allied Telesyn platform. He says: "Of the thirteen vendors from which proposals were solicited, Allied Telesyn's iMAP 9700 stood out as the one solution which met Skyline's vision for a broadband network capable of delivering high speed IP centric services to its subscribers from a single hardware platform for both transport and access. This ability, when coupled with a user friendly end-to-end management system and the cost competitiveness of their proposal, made our task of recommending a Vendor to Skyline easy."

With an initial 12-month deployment schedule that begins in December 2005, SkyLine will be installing Allied Telesyn products into 13 locations, including its network core and 12 exchanges that will grow to support more than 37,000 total access lines in two states.

SkyLine will deploy its FTTH network using Allied Telesyn's iMAP 9700 in conjunction with Layer 3 Ethernet/IP switch platforms to inject video streams into the transport ring. The head-end and access equipment will be complemented by the iMG 646 intelligent Multiservice Access Platforms at the customer premise.

SkyLine is a local, member-owned telephone company, which has been serving subscribers in Allegheny, Ashe and Watauga counties since 1951. With eleven exchanges in North Carolina and one in Tennessee, the ILEC is the second largest of nine-telephone cooperatives in North Carolina. The new FTTH infrastructure will enable SkyLine to offer cutting-edge IP Video to its largely residential subscriber base, in addition to its wide variety of current voice and high-speed DSL services. Skyline currently has over 10,000 Internet subscribers.

About Allied Telesyn, Inc.

Allied Telesyn was founded in 1987 with the global goal of producing reliable, standards-based IP/Ethernet networking products. Focused on secure Ethernet/IP solutions geared to application solutions, Allied Telesyn offers carrier-class access-edge products including Layer 3/2 switches & Routers, transport systems, fiber/copper Multiservice Access Platforms, and multiservice CPE/media converters. Our customer-focused approach has made Allied Telesyn the ideal choice for IT/SP professionals looking for high-quality, feature-rich IP/Ethernet network solutions. With an extensive product portfolio that covers telephony POTS to 40G transport systems Allied offers providers the one stop networking choice for IP/Ethernet solutions.