Fiber Optics
CommScope to Acquire Cable Exchange
CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks, has agreed to acquire Cable Exchange, a privately held quick-turn supplier of fiber optic and copper assemblies for data, voice and video communications. Cable Exchange, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., manufactu..
NineStar Connect Achieves Fiber Optic Milestone in Indiana
NineStar Connect, a smart utility based in Hancock County, Ind., has achieved a milestone of providing high-speed fiber optic broadband service to 100 percent of businesses and homes in McCordsville, Ind. “Reliable, high speed internet is no longer a nice-to-have for businesses; it’s an absolute ne..
Nokia to Provide Communications Network for California Utility
Nokia today announced it will provide an advanced communications network to the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) in Northern California to support its hydro-electric power generation and water distribution services in the area. PCWA is the primary water resource agency for Placer County, California..
Infinera Completes Successful Fiber-Optic Field Test on Trans-Atlantic Route
Infinera has successfully completed a subsea field test on a modern trans-Atlantic route. The field test was conducted with the Infinera XTS-3300 meshponder and demonstrated the potential of 19 terabits per second (19T) per fiber pair, delivering the highest spectral efficiency on a major trans-Atla..
i3 Broadband to Expand Fiber-Optic Network in Illinois
i3 Broadband today announced it will start construction in multiple neighborhoods to continue its multi-year, multi-million dollar investment in extending the company’s fiber network throughout Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. “We are extremely excited to provide residents and businesses of Champaign-Ur..
Teleste and Antronix JV to Bring Next Gen Cable Technology to North American Markets
Antronix, a manufacturer of broadband products in the United States, and Teleste, a provider of video and broadband technologies and related services in Europe, have entered a joint venture to offer Next Generation Gigabit cable access network solutions to North American broadband markets. The joint..
Peak Utility Services Group Acquires Kelly Cable
Peak Utility Services Group, a utility services provider serving natural gas, telecom, and electric utility markets in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West regions of the United States, has acquired Kelly Cable of New Mexico. As part of the transaction, Mike Ford, the President of Kelly Cab..
Every Arkansas Public School to Have High-Speed Internet This Fall
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A project to implement high-speed internet at every Arkansas school is expected to be complete in time for the new school year. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2t9laBq) reports that Arkansas will be one of a handful of states that guarantees high-speed internet..
Digital Divide Affecting Nebraska
GLADBROOK (AP) — On the wide-open plains of central Nebraska, a little more than a mile north of the Logan County line along Avenue 70, Pam Schaeffer can go days without functional internet. On those days, her husband Rodney will walk around the house grumbling about technology as he holds up his c..
Cut Fiber Optic Cable Forces North Carolina DMV Offices to Close
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An internet network outage in central North Carolina has forced approximately 35 driver license and license plate agency offices to suspend services. The N.C. Department of Transportation said in a news release that Division of Motor Vehicles officials were told by Time W..
Comcast Completes $1.7 Million Fiber Optic Expansion
Comcast Business has completed a nearly $1.7 million fiber optic network expansion project in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. As a result, Comcast’s high-performance network is now delivering up to 10 Gigabits-per-second of Ethernet capacity to more than seven businesses located between Tower ..
Maine Regulators, FairPoint Agree on $175K Settlement
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine utility regulators and FairPoint Communications are in agreement on a $175,000 settlement after the company failed to meet performance benchmarks from 2014 to last year. The state Public Utilities Commission’s staff had recommended $500,000 in fines after FairPoint..
Frontier Communications Makes Leadership Change
Frontier Communications Corporation today announced that John Maduri, a telecommunications expert with 30 years in the industry, has been named to the position of Executive Vice President, Consumer Sales, Marketing & Product. Maduri will join the company on July 24 and succeed Cecilia McKenney, who ..
Rice Electronics Launches Connected Worker Solution
Rice Electronics has launched the Connected Worker Solution with Intel® IoT technology. Designed to improve the safety and productivity of field workers in industrial environments, the end-to-end IoT solution using Rice Electronics smart devices along with Intel-based IoT gateways provides robust co..
Corning Launches Multi-use Platform to Make Launching Fiber Networks Easier
Corning Incorporated has launched its multiuse platform, the industry’s first solution to offer a combination of multifiber and single-fiber connection points, making it easier for carriers, operators, and municipalities to quickly deploy fiber-deep access networks. The multiuse platform will be fea..
Viavi Introduces Innovative Fiber Optic Cable Technology
Viavi Solutions has released the SmartClass™ Fiber MPOLx optical loss test set, the first Tier 1 certification test solution for cabling systems that utilize ribbon fiber with multi-fiber push on (MPO) connectivity The MPOLx can perform all MPO Tier 1 (basic) test and certification requ..
Updated FTTH Brand Reflects Next-Generation Innovation, Partnership, Energy
Keeping up with the ever-evolving fiber industry, its largest and only trade association has made a big change. Fiber to the Home Council Americas (FTTH) is now the Fiber Broadband Association. While still committed to fiber to the home, the new name reflects the expanded demand for the speed and r..
ECI Upgrades Rainier Connect's Optical Transport Network to 100G
ECI® has successfully upgraded Rainier Connect’s optical transport network to 100G using the company’s Apollo family of products. The project was funded in part, by the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers programs providing ..
South Dakota Working to Be Among First to Get 5G Technology
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — When Scott Sandal is talking to potential clients, he seems to always get the same question about the speed and bandwidth of the internet he relies on for his business. “They’re like, ‘in South Dakota?'” he said. Sandal is Sunbird Software’s director of service a..
Carolina Underground Solutions Acquired by Ex-CEO of South Carolina Telecom Contractor
Carolina Underground Solutions, a contractor providing drilling, boring, and trenching services for the installation of underground telecommunications cabling, has been acquired by Braddock Cunningham, former CEO of Network Controls and Electric, a telecommunications contractor in South Carolina. “..
Utility Uses Fiber Optic Network to Modernize Electric Grid
Bandera Electric Cooperative has completed its first distribution circuit automation project to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. “This project involved the integration of a wide-range of electric equipment, apparatus and residential solar resources, along with real-time communication..
Grand Ocean NEK606 Standard Offshore Cables Meet ABS Requirements
Grand Ocean today announced that its NEK606 standard cables have passed the ABS classification society requirements. “As an ISO 9001:2008 company with over 10 years’ experience in the offshore marine cable industry, we manufacture cables that guarantee optimal performance in adverse conditions, saf..
Company Develops New Fiber Optic Installation Tool
Panduit has released a new tool for fiber-optic cable installers, the OptiCam 2.0 Termination Tool. The tool delivers an immediate calculated insertion loss, which improves productivity by shortening the time installers spend on the jobsite and increases contractor profitability by decreasing projec..
Windstream Launches Five New Fiber Routes
Windstream today announced the opening of five strategically located fiber routes on its nationwide long-haul fiber transport network. Secured as part of Windstream’s recent merger with EarthLink, these new routes offer customers cost-effective access to greater network diversity options, improved ..
Infinera Validates Fiber Optic Cable Technology
Infinera has announced a successful subsea field test with Canalink across its subsea cable. The test, conducted with the Infinera Infinite Capacity Engine (ICE4) and featuring Infinera’s fourth-generation photonic integrated circuit, demonstrated the capability to upgrade the cable capacity 13-fold..
Companies Sign Fiber Optic Cable Interconnection Agreement in Guam
Globe Telecom and Belau Submarine Cable Corporation have signed an agreement that would allow a submarine fiber optic cable spur, currently under construction from the Republic of Palau, to interconnect with the Southeast Asia-United States (SEA-US) cable for onward transport to Guam. “We are excit..
Company Launches New Fiber Optic Cable Technology
Pioneer Consulting, a company specializing in submarine cable consulting, has expanded its core capabilities by launching GoCable.io. This innovative cloud-based service provides a design platform for mapping, planning and analyzing new undersea cable systems. GoCable.io is an accessible, web-based..
Verizon to Accelerate Next-Gen Broadband Deployment with $3.1 Billion Acquisition
To scale and accelerate deployment of next-generation broadband services throughout the United States, Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to acquire Straight Path Communications Inc. Verizon will purchase Straight Path for $184.00 per share, or a total consideration of $3.1 billion, in an all-s..
Verizon Awards $300 Million Fiber-Optic Cable Supply Contract
Prysmian Group has been awarded a $300 million contract from Verizon Communications to support the company’s US network expansion around a next-generation fiber platform that will speed the deployment of 5G services, while improving 4G LTE and other broadband capacity. The three-year contract wi..
Utilities Technology Council Launches the UTC Foundation
The Utilities Technology Council has launched the UTC Foundation at the annual Telecom & Technology conference in Charlotte, N.C. The UTC Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of sponsoring educational incentives and programs to attract, retain and support top technology and t..

- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- Katy, Texas passes moratorium on fiber-optics projects after damage to water lines
- Maryland lawmakers push to curb BGE pipeline spending, citing safety and cost concerns
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
- Charlottesville, Va., to begin work on 24-inch water line for Rivanna River crossing
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds