$3 million Connect America Grant accelerates deployment of gigabit services and economic development in former coal mining region
Alameda, Calif, USA, May 13, 2020 – DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc. (NSDQ: DZSI or “DZS”), a leading enabler of the emerging hyper-connected, hyper-broadband world, is proud to announce fiber overbuilder Prodigi has teamed with the Preston County Economic Development Authority (PCEDA) to invigorate this former coal mining region of West Virginia with gigabit broadband services. Leveraging a cutting-edge fiber optic infrastructure and the multi-terabit DZS MXK-F platform and zNID ONTs, Prodigi is using GPON to deliver symmetrical hyper-broadband services today ranging from 30 Mbps to 1 Gbps to homes and businesses. An extraordinary improvement over services historically available in the region, the company is seeing broadband adoption rates ranging from 85% to 100% of homes past in the communities it serves. Prodigi plans to continue its track record of innovation by becoming the first symmetrical 10 Gbps service provider in the state of West Virginia soon, taking advantage of the flexibilty of the MXK-F by simply adding XGS-PON cards to existing chassis.
“We are thrilled that in just a few years, we’ve been able to take major steps forward in closing the digital gap in Preston County – transforming it from a region suffering from the decline of coal mining to one that can boast not only the fastest broadband speeds in the state, but among the most robust in the world,“ said Bob Joseph and Tim Wotring, co-owners of Prodigi. “Even more important, as part of an ownership group that calls Preston County ‘home‘ it’s gratifying to see the strong community response to our endeavors, with broadband service take rates far in excess of predictions. DZS has been a phenomenal partner to us in enabling this success and laying a foundation for future growth, and we look forward to working with them as we continue on our quest to bring our world-class network to all of Preston County.“
Today, Prodigi has nearly 200 miles of fiber deployed and is serving over 2000 customers in the region. The company was named “2018 Business of the Year“ by the Preston County Chamber of Commerce (see video) and has achieved national recognition for its endeavors, including being selected for a $3 million Connect America Grant bestowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – the largest grant allowed. Other key partners in Prodigi’s success have been financial partner Clear Mountain Bank who has helped fund their growth, grant partner PCEDA, and technology partner DZS.
“The success of Prodigi is a testament to the vision of its founders, the efforts of local, state, and national leaders and programs, and the determination of a community to reinvent itself,” said Mitch Fleming, SVP of Americas Sales and Global Business Development at DZS. “We are extremely proud to be one of the key technology enablers to Prodigi and its initiatives to date, and look forward to helping the company reach every corner of Preston County and beyond.”
About DZS
DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: DZSI) is a global provider of leading-edge access, 5G transport, and enterprise communications platforms that enable the emerging hyper-connected, hyper-broadband world. Over 1200 service providers, operators, and enterprises in over 120 countries globally rely on DZS innovation, open solutions, and agility to arm them with the network resources and deployment freedom they need to lead in their markets and deliver an unrivaled communications experience. With manufacturing based in the USA and Germany, engineering, service and support centers of excellence spread across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, and value-added partners engaged locally, the expertise and resources of DZS are positioned to bring world-class solutions to service providers, operators, and enterprises who are ready to aggressively deploy next generation technologies, transform their businesses, and compete to win.
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Press Inquiries:
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