Feb 18 2010
MRV COMMUNICATIONS, INC. today announced that its LambdaDriver® has qualified for technical acceptance based upon the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS). The LambdaDriver joins the Fiber Driver® and OptiSwitch® as MRV’s third product line to be certified by RUS. MRV is a leading networking company with a full line of packet-optical transport (P-OTS), carrier Ethernet, 40G networking and out-of-band networking products.
RUS, along with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is a lead agency for distributing $7.2 billion apportioned by Congress as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to mostly rural telecom carriers to stimulate the development of broadband infrastructure and services. The program is aimed at helping rural utilities expand and keep their technology up to date, helping establish new and vital services.
To be technically certified, equipment must meet the USDA Rural Development agency’s standards for a variety of hazards including corrosion, weather, fire, earthquake and vandalism. This RUS endorsement means that rural independent telephone operating companies will qualify for a federal subsidization of their fiber optic infrastructure rollouts if they deploy MRV’s LambdaDriver solution.
“With the RUS’ recent announcement of a second round of funding, this acceptance places MRV in a position to offer its entire Carrier Ethernet and optical transport solution for the next series of rural broadband expansions,” said Noam Lotan, chief executive officer of MRV Communications. “By implementing the LambdaDriver, rural service providers can confidently build high-performance optical transport networks at a fraction of the cost of competing solutions to serve key community anchor institutions - such as libraries, hospitals, community colleges, universities and public safety institutions.”
“Access to telephone and Internet services are no doubt critical to the success of businesses across the country, but many rural businesses are struggling with slow Internet and insufficient wireless coverage,” said Prayerna Raina, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “With the LambdaDriver and other optical networking platforms certified by the RUS, rural service providers have access to the solutions that can provide these businesses the services they need to thrive.”