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Municipal FTTH Deployment Snapshot
Pulaski, Tennessee –
Pulaski Electric System
This month’s featured municipal FTTH deployer is Pulaski Electric System’s PES Energize, the fiber-to-the-home provider
for the city of Pulaski, Tennessee. “This is not your stereotypical sleepy rural electric system,” a local business magazine wrote
about PES. “Pulaski’s massive fiber-to-the-home investment is the antidote to the chronic problem of trickle-down technology
afflicting communities its size across Tennessee.” Our thanks to Wes Kelley, executive vice president of the company, for gathering
the information for this snapshot and providing his reflections on the deployment’s challenges and successes. Find out more at
www.energize.net.
- BBP Editors
Background
Provider name: PES Energize
Public entity owning the provider:
City of Pulaski, Tennessee
FTTH service area: Pulaski and outlying areas
Number of households/number of
businesses in service area: Approximately 5,000
Number of FTTH subscribers: Approximately 1,400
Competitors: Charter offers cable modem service;
AT&T offers DSL
FTTH Network Profile
Miles of fiber backbone: 12
Miles of fiber access infrastructure: 120
Number of POPs: 1 headend and
20 fiber distribution points
Network architecture: EPON
Business model: Retail
Services offered: 270 television channels, residential and
small-business phone service, high-speed Internet access,
point-to-point data circuits and server co-location
Highest tier Internet access: Residential – 30 Mbps for
$149.95
Take rates after 20 months of service:
Video – 25%
Data – 20%
Voice – 17%
Year deployment started: 2006
Year services began: 2007
Time to complete buildout: 1 year
Economic development impact: Local economic development
leadership has begun marketing PES’ services
to nearby Huntsville, Alabama, which is home to a large
number of defense and space industries. Before PES
built its network, the community had never attempted
to approach the defense or aerospace companies because
it had little to offer that met their special needs.
Photo by Susan Carlisle
The FTTH network has allowed several existing
industries to receive superior service at much lower
prices. The system has become a focus of community
pride and an example of the community’s willingness
to invest in the future.
FTTH Deployment Team
Design: Atlantic Engineering Group
Construction: Atlantic Engineering Group
Installation: OnTrac
Integration: OptiNet, Scientific Atlanta, Enhanced
Telecommunications Inc., Central Services Association
Deployment Details
Aerial, underground, or both Primarily aerial
Method for underground installation:
Direct burial, boring
Equipment used for installation: Zahn R300 trencher/
plow
22 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | January/February 2009