VDSL making inroads with independents

Next Level Communications will announce today that one of its independent telco customers, All West Communications, has reach a 70% penetration rate for it video services offering using the vendor’s VDSL equipment.

All West, which covers parts of northern Utah, is using Next Level’s access platform to provide voice, high-speed Internet access and digital video over its existing copper loops to 7000 homes. The company is also planning to roll out the service to up to 16,000 homes with the completion of a new subdivision in part of its territory. In that area, the company already has 350 subscribers, said Tony DiStefano, vice president of All West. As part of initial testing of the bundled service offering, All West used Next Level's access platform to provide digital TV, high-speed Internet and voice services to a group of international visitors at February’s Olympic games in Salt Lake City.

The news comes at a time when VDSL is picking up steam with U.S. independents. CT Communications, in its quarterly earnings call last week, said it would spend about $4.5 million over the next quarter with Next Level, testing out video over VDSL.

“You’re actually seeing some of the effects of cable telephony pick away at some of the independents,” said Geoff Burke, director of marketing communications for Next Level. Separately, a group of four vendors—VideoTel.com, Riverstone, Myrio and AFC Communications, last week embarked on a six-stop road show to promote the “Headend-to-Home” solution that lets telcos provide digital video over copper.

“We want to educate the customer base on the economics of the solutions,” said Ajit Pendse, executive vice president of VT.c.

On the tour, the company is setting up a functioning network in hotel conference rooms that will include VT.c’s headend, Riverstone’s routers, AFC’s digital loop carrier and Myrio middleware.