Optical Solutions Inc., the market leader in next-generation GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) networks, today announced that Benton Cooperative Telephone Company of central Minnesota has selected the FiberPath 500 system to deliver "triple-play" FTTP (Fiber to the Premise) services to several new greenfield additions in the communities of Rice and Milaca.

Benton Cooperative currently serves 5,000 telephone subscribers in a growing bedroom community just minutes north of St. Cloud on Hwy. 10. This spring, the cooperative will launch FTTP voice, high-speed data and digital video services to as many as 300 new homes in its Rice exchange. At the same time, Milaca Local Link (Benton's CLEC subsidiary), will deliver competitive FTTP voice, high-speed data and digital video services to several dozen new homeowners in the Milaca area.



"We looked at a few other options for our network expansion, but ultimately Optical Solutions proved to have the most developed solution on the market," said Duane Wentland, operations manager at Benton Cooperative. "We also have a high degree of confidence in their capabilities based on the number of satisfied telcos using the OSI product here in Minnesota. Independent telcos are a tight-knit group, so word gets around when something is working well."

Benton Cooperative is deploying Optical Solutions' FiberPath 500 equipment and networking solution, the telco industry's first Gigabit PON system for the local access market. The FiberPath 500 solution is capable of delivering state-of-the-art IPTV, 100-plus Mbps data speeds and multiple telephone lines. The system is fully compliant with ITU FSAN standards, and is currently operating in more than 130 communities throughout North America.