Zhone, Leidos deploy passive optical LAN for Washington State University

Zhone Technologies (NASDAQ: ZHNE), a supplier of fiber-optic broadband access equipment, says that Washington State University (WSU) has deployed the company's FiberLAN passive optical LAN gear. The deployment, conducted in partnership with Leidos Engineering, will boost the broadband access speeds available to the university's on-campus housing.

"WSU has seen previous investments in copper cabling become antiquated and expensive to replace. Leidos Engineering worked with WSU to develop a vision for the future, and now WSU is installing singlemode fiber-optic cable that will serve them with incredible access speeds today, as well as decades into the future," said Matt Miller, principal systems engineer with Leidos.

In addition to the initial housing deployments, WSU also plans to deploy the passive LAN technology to provide connectivity in its IT building and other campus administrative and housing facilities, Zhone says. The network uses GPON-based transmission systems and singlemode fiber cabling.

"Passive Optical LAN solutions like Zhone's FiberLAN allow campuses to meet increased demand for bandwidth, while saving space, decreasing power consumption and improving infrastructure lifespan," comments Monique Apter, vice President, FiberLAN at Zhone. "The solution ensures networks are able to fully meet student needs by increasing access to necessary applications and resources that improve productivity, while enabling bandwidth for students to stream content for entertainment purposes."

"Today's college students grew up in a connected world, and as more devices with Internet capabilities are continuously flooding the market, it's important for campuses like ours to provide the fast and reliable Internet that students demand," concludes Wallace A. Chase, IT services network manager at WSU.

Chase adds, "The flood of broadband traffic places significant pressure on campus broadband infrastructures, potentially overloading networks. We decided Zhone's FiberLAN addressed our needs and provided growth opportunity, allowing us to affordably upgrade our on-campus housing to provide students with the bandwidth they desire."