PacketFront Stimulates Economic Development in Rural Communities with Automated Broadband Services.

LONDON -- Leader in Next Generation Broadband Manages Different Options for Last Mile Connectivity in the Rural Rocky Mountain Region of Canada

PacketFront, the world leader in open access FTTH and broadband aggregation has announced that non-profit organisation the Columbia Mountain Open Network (CMON) has expanded its community broadband system in British Columbia, Canada. Using PacketFront's fibre to the home (FTTH) technology, BECS(TM) control and provisioning system, and PacketFront's knowledge and experience in building and operating successful open access networks, CMON will now offer broadband services to the rural community of Trail and the five band locations of the Ktunaxa First Nation.

"While both the City and the Tribal Council are looking to use broadband to improve quality of life for their residents, each has different priorities," said Dan McCarthy, CEO of CMON. "Community leaders in Trail have chosen to deploy this advanced telecommunications infrastructure to attract inward investment and retain residents and businesses within their communities. The Ktunaxa, on the other hand, are planning to provide essential community-based services including healthcare and education to its widely dispersed community. It will also use the network to create an accessible platform for the local language, ensuring that it is preserved in the wider community. CMON is very proud to be a part of such important initiatives."

Relying on PacketFront's hardware and software solutions, CMON has worked diligently to attract third-party service providers that will provide residents and businesses of both initiatives with the ability to self-provision their telephony, video and internet services, at the click of a button. Residents will soon be able to access other services such as home security, online gaming, health and education.

"In a PacketFront network, when users turn on a PC or a TV connected to the network they are taken to the local community portal," says Matt Wenger, Area Director, Americas, PacketFront Inc. "Here they see a list of all the service providers that are competing to sell services on the network, and the various services these providers are offering. Residents and businesses then pick and click the services they want, when they want them, with everything in the process automated. CMON has been a leader in innovating and deploying new approaches to community broadband for many years. We too are very proud to continue to be a part of these exciting initiatives."

About PacketFront

PacketFront is the leader in FTTH technology and next generation broadband aggregation. Its unique combination of central control and automation systems and advanced routers power the most demanding broadband networks in the world. Its solutions also uniquely enable new business models such as open access networks, where multiple content providers deliver competing services over the same physical infrastructure. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has offices in Boston, Oslo, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Seoul. Please go to www.packetfront.com or telephone [phone] for more details.