United Cooperative Services Taps ADTRAN to Enable 10G in Texas

ADTRAN, Inc., a global provider of next-generation innovative fiber and fiber extension broadband access solutions, has announced that, through its Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives program, it is empowering United Cooperative Services (UCS) to deliver multi-gigabit services to the electric cooperative’s membership in 14 counties across North Texas.

Represented by NRTC, UCS is a  provider of high-performance broadband to previously underserved rural communities. UCS selected ADTRAN’s 10G fiber access portfolio to build and manage a flexible and highly-scalable network and ADTRAN’s Mosaic Device Manager to better manage end-to-end performance.

This deployment supports the bandwidth-intensive applications its members will rely on to lead fully connected lives in a global Gigabit Economy.

“UCS is continuously working to find new ways to provide members with exceptional service and value,” said Cameron Smallwood, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer at United Cooperative Services. “Through a member vote, we received a 91% approval rate to move forward with deploying a network to provide 10G services. We will be able to provide a seamless high-speed broadband internet experience to our members, enabling them to thrive in today’s connected world.”

For over 80 years, UCS has focused on delivering reliable and affordable power to more than 62,000 residential and business customers, but high-quality and capacity-rich broadband had not previously been available to most of its region. UCS understands that multi-gigabit broadband is as important today as the electricity services it has historically delivered.

By leveraging ADTRAN’s Total Access 5000 (TA5000) multi-gigabit service platform for its fiber deployment, UCS is providing its members affordable high-speed internet options that support video streaming, smart homes, telemedicine and other emerging applications. This will enable the communities that UCS serves to drive economic development, support innovation and improve quality of life for the thousands of residents on UCS’ network.

To increase operational efficiency and lower costs, UCS also implemented ADTRAN’s Mosaic Device Manager. Mosaic Device Manager provides end-to-end provisioning of subscriber devices, performs remote troubleshooting, increases first call resolution and decreases the need for truck rolls. Its secure, cloud-based deployment model will easily scale to grow with UCS while providing flexibility regardless of location or CPE.

“It is our mission to help our electric cooperative and telephone members bring the advantages of the best technology available to their communities,” said Scott Pell, Chief Technology Officer at NRTC Broadband Solutions, which designed and is managing the project for UCS. “An important step in this process is to pair with a vendor that understands the needs of our members. ADTRAN’s commitment to building flexible and scalable networks, experience in delivering XGS-PON and long history of serving rural communities made them the ideal partner for UCS’ network build.”

“UCS is a great example of electric cooperatives across the nation looking to advance fiber broadband services for their communities,” said Brian Efimetz, VP of Regional Service Provider Sales at ADTRAN. “Understanding that every service provider and their subscribers have unique needs, we take pride in being able to build and manage networks to support the unique needs and opportunities of the communities they serve. This deployment delivers robust broadband service capabilities, and also provides UCS valuable network analytics to improve service offerings and diversify revenue streams, while ensuring an exceptional customer experience.”