Strata Networks chooses Ekinops

Based in Roosevelt, Utah, Strata’s network extends throughout the Uintah Basin, into the Wasatch Front, and to Denver. Strata continues to expand and improve its fiber footprint to remain at the forefront of providing best-in-class residential and business services including phone, television, broadband Internet and mobile. Strata’s service area is characterized by difficult terrain and includes a diverse demographic including mid-sized urban and remote rural areas. To serve all these areas and provide uniformly robust performance regardless of size or location, Strata recognized the need for a reliable and easy to use transport solution to deliver scalable and cost-effective capacity.

Using the Ekinops360 optical solution along with 200G and 400G FlexRate modules and Celestis® NMS, Ekinops’ advanced network management system, Strata is able to increase the scope and performance of its optical transport network, extending 100G links all the way to its point-of-presence in Denver serving its customers in Colorado. Ekinops PM400FR05 uses high-power pluggable coherent optics to provide up to 400G of capacity for metro/regional connectivity at a lower cost than traditional transponders, while Celestis NMS allows Strata complete control over its network. Celestis’ easy-to-use interface gives Strata the ability to monitor, troubleshoot and upgrade services at any node from a centralized network operations center, minimizing truck rolls, helping Strata to reduce its carbon footprint.

“Ekinops was able to step up and deliver everything we needed to improve our network performance so we can continue providing the quality of service for which we’re known,” commented Brent Simmons, Vice President of Technology at Strata. “We were particularly impressed with Celestis NMS and its ability to give us a level of visibility and control we didn’t have before. Its interface makes it easy to use so we can get up to speed quickly to manage the network effectively from day one.”

“Strata has a large and challenging service area with connectivity needed in a lot of rural locations hundreds of miles away,” said Kevin Antill, Chief Revenue Officer North America at Ekinops: “This is really the sweet spot for the Ekinops360, providing high performance capacity with the high level of control delivered by Celestis NMS at a cost point that supports our customer’s business model.”