EO Networks feeds U S West's copper needs

EO Networks has nabbed U S West as the first major customer for its new copper-fed digital loop carrier product.

U S West, which already has deployed EO's FDS-1 FiberLean low-density fiber-fed DLC, settled on EO's newer FDS-1 CopperLean product to perform the same function with copper. EO introduced CopperLean earlier this year to complement the fiber offering.

CopperLean allows carriers to maximize existing copper plant by turning two copper pairs into 24 DS-0s. The FDS-1 platform also can allow telcos to upgrade networks to fiber incrementally by simultaneously transmitting over fiber and copper plants. Upgrading from copper to fiber is achieved by exchanging transport cards.

CopperLean works using either high bit-rate digital subscriber line transmission technology or standard T-1 span lines.

Scott Kriens, EO's chairman and CEO, said the adoption of CopperLean by a major carrier bears out EO's addition of a copper-based product. "EO had a vision of low-density distribution on fiber," he said. "But while fiber is important, copper is king."

Both FiberLean and CopperLean are designed to help telcos meet increasing demand as end users install multiple phone lines to meet both voice and data needs.

Nikos Theodosopoulos, managing director of UBS Securities in New York, said CopperLean is attractive for its immediate impact in improving service delivery over copper. "The big opportunity in the copper-fed market is the phenomena of second and third lines," he said. "The copper out there provides the best solution to do that."