windstream wholesale Archives - Page 2 of 3

We’ve achieved a major construction milestone in the progress of our new CanAm2 route!

Fiber placement is complete on the 46-mile Canadian section with splicing and testing in progress. In addition, more than 50 miles are placed along the Albany, New York to New York City stretch with construction continuing.

Windstream Wholesale’s CanAm2 is a 440-mile-long route comprised of all-new 432-count fiber. It features a unique cross-border design that connects Montreal, Canada, and New York City, providing seamless network connectivity to Boston through Albany, New York. Several major hyperscalers have already purchased CanAm2 to gain a competitive advantage.

Learn More about CanAm2 and our invaluable construction partners in our recent press release.

We’ve embarked on a series of construction projects to overbuild select routes and build new network routes with high-count fibers. Explore more in our interactive network map and let us know where we should build next!

Maintaining our position as a technology leader, we’re excited to introduce additional map-based network intelligence enhancements within the Windstream Wholesale iconnect customer portal.

Fiber route map views and KMZ’s on-demand, real-time fiber outage visibility with location data, and proactive monitoring and ticketing for Dark Fiber and Managed Spectrum are the latest capabilities of an ongoing series of portal advancements. iconnect offers superior network performance data and transparency, giving customers an essential tool to confidently manage their operations.

“As the industry leader, we are excited about this elevated insight and unmatched transparency truly setting us apart in the market.” Joe Scattareggia, chief revenue officer for Windstream Wholesale.

Learn More in our Press Release and contact our team for an iconnect demo! See how our customer portal gives you access to a variety of data, from real-time updates on circuits to historical insights and performance trends.

The results are in… and Windstream Wholesale is proud to be awarded the 2023 Best North American Carrier! This esteemed industry recognition was revealed by Capacity Media during the Global Carrier Awards in London, England. We are grateful to be recognized as the “best” by our industry peers from around the world – the ultimate compliment to the business and culture we have created.

We asked Joe Scattareggia, CRO, to reflect on his evening in London and define the Top 3 Things winning the award means to him and the Windstream Wholesale team:

Ultimate Recognition for the entire WW team for their Hard Work and Dedication: Winning the award is the ultimate recognition for the collective efforts of the team, encompassing not only our immediate colleagues but also our extended Windstream Wholesale team. It signifies the unwavering dedication and hard work put forth to provide an exceptional customer experience.

Gratification from Industry Peers, Including Competitors: It’s incredibly gratifying for our team to be acknowledged by industry peers, even some of our competitors, as the best.

Responsibility and Celebration of Team Culture: Winning an award comes with the responsibility to celebrate. It provides a unique opportunity to share the story of our team’s hard work and dedication. Through this celebration, we can showcase the amazing culture that has allowed us to reach this milestone and reflect on the values that drive our success.

In the coming year, we look forward to celebrating, not just as a team, but with our customers and partners. Stay tuned for exciting updates – we might just surprise you by stopping in your neck of the woods!

November 6, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. & CHANDLER, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Windstream Wholesale, an optical technology leader delivering fast and flexible advanced solutions, and VIAVI Solutions (NASDAQ: VIAV), a global provider of network testing, monitoring, and assurance solutions, today announced the integration of VIAVI Remote Fiber Test System (RFTS) into Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON). This tool further advances network intelligence functionality for Dark Fiber and Wavelength monitoring. Customers will be able to leverage this tool in the first quarter of 2024.

VIAVI RFTS includes FTH-9000 adaptive fiber test heads and ONMSi software. This centralized system combines strategically placed test heads in key network locations to constantly sweep the fiber with an OTDR test signal to identify and locate fiber faults and degradations. Incorporating this solution directly into Windstream’s Dark Fiber and ICON network enables early detection of fiber breaks, elimination of reactive truck rolls, faster time to repair, and increased transparency of and visibility into a customer’s network health and performance. The VIAVI outage and GIS data will be integrated from the ONMSi platform into Windstream Wholesale’s operational and portal software applications.

Early Detection of Fiber Breaks for Dark Fiber and Wavelengths

Fiber routes are continuously and proactively monitored to detect cable damage (intrusions, bends, kinks, etc.).
Immediate notification of cuts, outages, and degraded service is sent to Windstream Wholesale network operations on behalf of the customer.
Allows Windstream to expand its OTDR capabilities on network routes where in-line OTDR is not available.

Faster Time to Repair

Automation of fiber outage identification reduces coordination times needed with manual OTDR testing processes.
Pinpointed outage data includes GPS location and impacted circuit information immediately identifying where the outage location is.
Reduced Time to Repair (TTR) due to immediate notifications sent to Windstream Wholesale.

Visibility Expanded for Dark Fiber Customers in the iconnect Portal

Dark Fiber customers gain real-time outage location information on a map like Wavelength services.
Customers gain map views of network health in Windstream Wholesale’s iconnect portal.
Available on Windstream Wholesale’s new high-count long-haul dark fiber builds including Tulsa to Little Rock to Memphis (T-Rock Express), Raleigh to Myrtle Beach to Jacksonville (Beach Route), and Montreal to Albany to New York City (CanAm2).

“VIAVI is proud to be a long-term partner to Windstream Wholesale, whose deployment and maintenance teams have relied on our test and assurance solutions to deliver high-quality fiber networks to their customers,” said Luiz Cesar Oliveira, vice president, Americas, VIAVI. “Service providers are increasing efficiency through enhanced visibility and intelligence as well as simplified troubleshooting processes. VIAVI RFTS is delivering capabilities trusted by carriers globally to the Windstream ICON network.”

“With fiber networks serving as the foundational architecture of our modern world, our society is put on hold when fiber cables break. We are pleased with the partnership that we have with VIAVI and how it enables us to integrate a proactive functionality of OTDR technology into our network – significantly reducing any network impact on our customers,” said Joe Scattareggia, Windstream Wholesale chief revenue officer. “We’re able to detect and respond to outages early and in real-time, communicate to our customers concurrently, and repair those outages faster than anyone else.”

Windstream’s ICON provides open and disaggregated networking infrastructure, enabling wholesale and enterprise technology customers to select unique custom routes, maintain operational insights with Windstream’s Network Intelligence functions, and place their networks closer to the edge to better serve end-users.

To view the Windstream Wholesale network, visit https://www.windstreamwholesale.com/network-expansion/.

About Windstream

Windstream Holdings is a privately held communications and software company. Windstream Wholesale is an innovative optical technology leader that creates deep partnerships with carriers, content and media providers, federal government agencies and Fortune 100 companies to deliver fast and flexible, customized wave and transport solutions. Additional information is available at windstream.com or windstreamwholesale.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, at @Windstream.

Category: Wholesale

Windstream Wholesale Contact:
Scott Morris, 501-748-5342
[email protected]

About VIAVI

VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for telecommunications, cloud, enterprises, first responders, military, aerospace and railway. VIAVI is also a leader in light management technologies for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, government and aerospace applications. In 2023, we celebrate over 100 years of Network Transformation and Optical Innovation. Learn more about VIAVI at www.viavisolutions.com. Follow us on VIAVI Perspectives, LinkedIn and YouTube.

VIAVI Solutions Contact:
Amit Malhotra, 202-341-8624
[email protected]

October 16, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Windstream Wholesale, an optical technology leader in fast and flexible advanced solutions, continues to make great progress with its CanAm2 fiber build, a 440-mile, long-haul route comprising 432 new fibers from Montreal, Canada, through Albany, New York, and on to New York City. A major construction milestone between the New York state border and Montreal, Canada, is now complete and open for business.

Windstream Wholesale’s CanAm2 employs a distinctive cross-border architecture that offers increased availability of dark fiber, meets the growing demand for high-capacity transport from customers, and has already been purchased by several major hyperscalers to gain a competitive advantage. CanAm2 provides a new and unique route design that will link Montreal and New York City while also providing access to networks in Boston, Massachusetts, via Albany, another critical network junction supporting the westbound corridor to Buffalo, New York, and connection points west.

Windstream Wholesale credits its progress on the CanAm2 route to leveraging two key qualified partnerships:

Telecon, an industry-leading North American telecom infrastructure turnkey solutions provider, for the route build within Canada, and
HYLAN, a leading provider of full-service turnkey communications solutions, for the route build within the U.S., from the Canadian border to New York City.

“The Windstream and Telecon teams have been collaborating very efficiently on the CanAm2 project, always seeking ways to innovate to ensure the delivery of a high-quality network. Telecon built the Canadian part of the conduit used to deploy fiber on this project in prior years, so this partnership felt particularly natural. Our seasoned long-haul construction team has been highly engaged and proud to be part of this important initiative. We look forward to pursuing our collaboration,” said Jason Garner, vice president of Infrastructure at Telecon.

“Telecon has long-standing expertise as a North American construction firm and has proven to be key in ensuring the success of the Canadian portion of CanAm2,” said Karl-Arne Hegewald, senior vice president of network infrastructure and operations at Windstream Wholesale. “Their local expertise has guided key construction decisions, making them a natural and essential partner for a smooth build process.”

“We are truly honored to serve as Windstream’s partner in this critical network build from New York to the Canadian border. It’s a historic and important route that will continue to change the landscape of fiber optic connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure across North America,” added Robert Bianco, chief commercial officer of HYLAN.

“Our partnership with HYLAN for the build of CanAm2 is invaluable. As a seasoned construction leader with extensive experience across New York’s landscape, HYLAN brings expertise in navigating the intricacies of building within the city. Their teams’ deep understanding of local topography and community connections is crucial,” said Joe Scattareggia, chief revenue officer at Windstream Wholesale. “Beyond serving as partners, they’ve also been instrumental in shaping the critical design aspects of our long-haul builds.”

Windstream Wholesale has embarked on a series of construction projects to overbuild select routes and build new network routes with high-count fibers across Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON). CanAm2 is a key route within this build strategy. Another important route is the Beach Route, an 864-count fiber route from Raleigh, North Carolina, to cable landing stations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida. The Beach Route is already 70% complete, with the northern route from Raleigh to Savannah, Georgia, at 90% completion and expected to be turned over to customers later this year.

To view the Windstream Wholesale network, visit https://www.windstreamwholesale.com/network-expansion/.

About Windstream

Category: Wholesale

Windstream Wholesale Contact:
Scott Morris, 501-748-5342
[email protected]

Source: Windstream Holdings

Windstream Wholesale recently unveiled an enhanced Interactive Network Map that offers an elevated user experience.

With a new map user interface and functionality, customers can navigate our core long-haul network, including regional and metro and in-progress builds, down to the street address level. Our Next Gen 400G routes and points of presence (POP) are also right at your fingertips!

By utilizing the layer functionality, you can turn on or off different aspects of our network or gain an unobstructed map view in full screen. You can see where our POPs align with your current sites in a geographical context. When you identify a route, fiber build, or POP that satisfies your connectivity or diversity needs, you can export your map view with the print feature and reach out to our experienced sales or engineering representatives to discuss.

We look forward to discussing a customized solution to empower your network!

From tailgates to touchdowns, another exciting football season has kicked off across the country. Whether you’re rallying behind your college alma mater or cherished NFL team, heart-stopping moments won’t be hard to come by in the months ahead.

We huddled up with CRO, Joe Scattareggia to talk about team success as it relates to a leader’s playbook, tackling the Top 3 traits he believes coaches and leaders must have to build a strong, successful team.

Culture – create an open, inclusive environment where everyone understands their role – that forms a bond and makes a winning team;

Effective two-way communication – all feedback is important – on and off the field or in the boardroom;

Trust and Respect your team – alignment and empowerment leads to the right game plan with the right plays – resulting in success,

and a bonus – Love the game? – If you love and enjoy what you do, your team will, too… and a little tailgating never hurts.

October 09, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Windstream Wholesale, a leading provider of advanced optical solutions, today announced additional map-based network intelligence enhancements to its iconnect customer portal.

iconnect is Windstream Wholesale’s premier customer portal providing access to multi-layer network health data and self-service tools. These latest capabilities are part of an ongoing series of portal advancements offering superior network performance and transparency, giving customers an essential tool that reveals more about their network and enables them to confidently manage their operations.

Real-time fiber outage visibility with location data

Windstream Wholesale’s network intelligence quickly pinpoints the precise location of a fiber outage on the customer’s map to gain near real-time awareness and operational control over network issues. The unmatched speed of isolation and resolution ensures minimal downtime for the customer.

Fiber route map views and KMZs on-demand

Dark Fiber and Managed Spectrum customers can also now view their fiber route and download network KMZs on demand, enabling more efficiency and transparency to their operations.

Proactive monitoring and ticketing for Dark Fiber and Managed Spectrum

This expanded feature, previously only available for Wave services, provides detection of network issues, maintaining the company’s commitment to keeping customers informed about any potential outages and enabling faster reaction and repair to maintain business continuity.

Customers can also access a range of data through the iconnect portal, from real-time updates on their circuits to historical insights to identify performance and trends.

“We’re committed to delivering leading technology and products to our customers and staying ahead of the curve,” said Joe Scattareggia, chief revenue officer for Windstream Wholesale. “As the industry leader, we are excited about this elevated insight and unmatched transparency truly setting us apart in the market.”

Windstream Wholesale delivers high-capacity optical services over its Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON), which provides open and disaggregated networking infrastructure, enabling wholesale and enterprise technology customers to select unique custom routes, maintain operational insights with Windstream’s Network Intelligence functions, and place their networks closer to the edge to better serve end-users.

To view the Windstream Wholesale network, visit https://www.windstreamwholesale.com/network-expansion/.

About Windstream

Windstream Holdings is a privately held communications and software company. Windstream Wholesale is an innovative optical technology leader that creates deep partnerships with carriers, content and media providers, federal government agencies, and Fortune 100 companies to deliver fast and flexible, customized wave and transport solutions. Additional information is available at windstream.com or windstreamwholesale.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Windstream.

Category: Wholesale

Windstream Wholesale Contact:
Scott Morris
501-748-5342
[email protected]

Source: Windstream Holdings

Pioneering a New Era in the Telecommunications Industry

At Windstream Wholesale, we’re proud of our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence. Over the years, we have established ourselves as an industry-leading technology provider, thanks to our ability to stay ahead of the technology curve and lead the way with the latest advancements in the field.

One of our most significant advancements has been the introduction of Windstream’s 400G service (established in 2020), which has allowed for even greater agility, adaptability, and durability when it comes to data transmission. Our nationwide footprint spans across 103 data centers (and continuously growing!) offering coast-to-coast coverage and rapid turn-up.

Our innovative approach to technology lead to the development 400G powered by ZR+ coheret optic pluggables, which utilize a drastically reduced footprint and power consumption relative to sled-based and even CFP2-based solutions – allowing us to pre-deploy capacity across six coverage regions for even faster turn-up.

By leveraging this cutting-edge technology, we have been able to solidify our position at the forefront of the industry, providing our customers with the very best services and solutions available.

400G represents the next generation of optical transceivers. Offering relatively simple math, it results in a 4x increase to a network’s maximum data transfer speed over 100G. This results in the ability to address today’s ever-increasing bandwidth demands and traffic.

Why 400G with Windstream Wholesale?

400G | Coast-to-Coast

Our Coast-to-Coast 400G spans the nation and covers several routes on our cutting-edge intelligent converged optical network (ICON). This point-to-point, long-haul service is designed to provide high-capacity and low-latency transport. Windstream Wholesale was the first to market with this next generation of connectivity in 2020, providing customers with the power of trusted and vetted service experience and engineering.

Our 400G service is optimized for providing lightning-fast speeds over long distances throughout the country. For instance, customers can upgrade from 100G to 400G across a single route, such as from Los Angeles, CA to Ashburn, VA, to enhance connectivity and delivery.

400G | Regional Rapid Fiber

Windstream Wholesale’s unique co-development of ZR+ pluggables (with II-VI, now Coherent Corp) is enabling the first flexible, regional 400G wave services. Regional Rapid Fiber, powered by ZR+, offers point-to-point connections within multiple regional sites across Windstream’s ICON and is focused on creating multi-point connections within a regional radius of approximately 1000 kilometers.

Customers gain the ability to add circuits for flexibility and redundancy, in addition to rapid turn-up from pre-deployed capacity, risk-free migration path from 100G to 400G, dual, diverse, economic wave options, short-term, event-based 400G, and capacity reservation services.

What does this mean for the future?

Reduced equipment and power costs
Amended space, heat, and power challenges
Elevated network efficiency
Streamlined network design & operations
Increased POPs (points of presence)

Regional Rapid Fiber pacifies space, heat, and power challenges that burden our industry. Through the integration of ZR+ pluggables, we anticipate a significant decrease in costs by 50-70% and a further reduction in power consumption by 20%. The infrastructure required for 400G is also minimal, lowering technical hurdles and enhancing short-term project sustainability.

What’s more, the integration of 400G into ICON is projected to increase our points of presence by 50% by year-end, expanding possibilities for success in our field. Our system is eco-friendly and incorporates thermal optimization – this innovation will pave the way for advancements in AI optical and internal planning systems, potentially leading to the introduction of 800G.

Our non-traditional approach to 400G development and deployment showcases our dedication to pushing boundaries and delivering the absolute best for our customers. We don’t simply create technologies that dominate the market; we are dedicated to developing meaningful solutions that add to the customer experience.

Windstream Wholesale is proud to be leading the way in the industry with 400G – both Next Generation and what is now the Next – Next Generation. Windstream CTO, Art Nichols, and Windstream Wholesale CRO, Joe Scattareggia, dive deeper into the nooks and crannies of 400G technology in Connect the Dots episode 32: Going Beyond the Next Generation of 400G.

Learn More

Big things are on the horizon for Windstream Wholesale customers!
On July 11, 2023, we announced an expanded partnership with Sterlite Technologies Ltd., STL, supporting our high-bandwidth optical long-haul fiber routes under construction. This collaboration will continue to enable the best reach and connectivity experience for our customers while maintaining our Fast & Flexible mantra.

With nearly 30 years of optical expertise, STL reaches the high standards bar we’ve set for our multiple fiber construction projects underway, including:

An extension of the T-Rock Express, from Tulsa-to-Little Rock, Arkansas, and now on to Memphis;
The Beach Route, from Raleigh, North Carolina, to the new Myrtle Beach CLS, and on to the Jacksonville, Florida CLS, and
CanAm2, running from New York City to Montreal.

STLs products are designed to ensure faster rollout and high scalability, aligning with Windstream Wholesale’s requirements for metro, and long-haul optical networks that currently provide up to 400G wave services and will support 800G transmission in the future.

Explore more on our new construction builds and let us know where we should build next to best support your business needs!

At Windstream Wholesale, we thrive on pushing boundaries and leading the charge – and we most certainly are leading!

A remarkable industry feat in 400G, the WW team set a new standard for speed and efficiency, delivering multiple 400G wave orders to a large cable company in just 16 business days!

Our ‘one team’ approach emphasizing collaboration and readily available inventory of 400G equipment enabled swift provisioning, activation, and a delivery interval far surpassing the customer’s expectations.

We’re thrilled to announce our ambitious plans to expand our 400G footprint and revolutionize the technology landscape throughout 2023 and beyond to deliver more of these service achievements for our customers.

We initiated our coast-to-coast 400G launch back in 2020, and now we’re taking it to the next level by expanding our 400G capable Points of Presence (POPs) to an impressive ~120 – but that’s not all! Our industry-first Regional Rapid Fiber, a game-changing, regionally based 400G product powered by ZR+ technology, covers six US regions with approximately 50 POPs.

We invite you to be our next service delivery achievement. Our experienced team is poised and ready to provide you with a rapid turn-up like no other!

In an epic battle spanning 5 sets, 4 hours, and 42 minutes, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz emerged triumphant, securing the Wimbledon crown and his position as the world’s number one player. Combined with his remarkable victory at the 2022 US Open Tennis, Alcaraz has unquestionably established himself as a leader in the sport.

As the Windstream Wholesale Team eagerly awaits to welcome customers and partners at the highly anticipated 2023 US Open, where Alcaraz aims to defend his title, we seized the opportunity to ask CRO, Joe Scattareggia the Top 3 Leadership Attributes he feels influence repeated success.

Simply put, there’s no substitution for hard work;

Having a good team around you – family, coaches, mentors, and an overall good support system – is crucial, and

Passion for what you do – when it doesn’t feel like a job you know success is in the making.

August 01, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE) — Windstream Wholesale (Windstream), an optical technology leader in fast and flexible advanced solutions, announced today a cooperation agreement with ConnectiviTree (Europe) AG (“ConnectiviTree”.) Under this agreement, Windstream will leverage access to the planned ConnectiviTree pan-European network and the wider ConnectiviTree Global Alliance Network. This partnership will allow Windstream to offer enhanced high-speed optical transport to their service provider partners and their large enterprise customers, expanding their global services and enabling high-speed optical transport for the ConnectiviTree fiber network footprint in the United States.

Windstream Wholesale has an impressive U.S. network presence, continuously expanding with multiple fiber construction builds underway, including the Beach Route, a new build from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida, of 864 count fiber and 651 route miles; CanAm2, another new build from New York City to Montreal of 432 count fiber and 455 route miles, and an extension of its T-Rock Express route from Tulsa to Little Rock, Arkansas, into Memphis for 432 count fiber and 472 route miles. With another major initiative to increase data center connections for further network expansion, Windstream Wholesale’s network footprint is expanding and strengthening to meet current and future customer demand.

Windstream’s innovative Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON) provides open and disaggregated networking infrastructure, enabling wholesale and enterprise technology customers to select unique custom routes, maintain operational insights with Windstream’s Network Intelligence functions, and place their networks closer to the edge to better serve end-users. Their long-haul optical networks that currently provide up to 400G wave services and will support 800G transmission in the future and cutting-edge, customer-facing iconnect portal combined with a radically transparent, fast & flexible mindset are the optimal addition to ConnectiviTree and their Global Alliance.

“We are proud that ConnectiviTree has selected Windstream Wholesale to support the build of their special network design and are delighted to join their innovative Global Alliance partner network,” said John Nishimoto, senior vice president of products, marketing and strategy at Windstream Wholesale. “Their product offering and network will expand our premium services to customers internationally, including routes, options, and features not currently available.”

“We are excited about this partnership with Windstream, because of what Windstream represents within the North American market for the ConnectiviTree Global Alliance, as well as the increased reach and functionality we can bring to Windstream customers. This fits very well into our network expansion and further leverages our pan-European core network build in support of our European customer sales channel base,” said Paul Cox, ConnectiviTree president and CEO. “We believe the Windstream ConnectiviTree alliance will unlock a multitude of emerging business, supporting a long-term relationship between our two rapidly moving companies.”

About Windstream Wholesale

Category: Wholesale

About ConnectiviTree

ConnectiviTree (Europe) AG is an independent and neutral data transport network provider that has designed and is currently building a layer 1 and 2 fiber-based data transfer network solution for large Enterprise customers. The ConnectiviTree network design and specifications will support fast and secure data transport with capacities of up to 200 terabits between major cities, starting in Western Europe and is designed to be sold as NaaS, CaaS and SaaS (Network, Capacity and Spectrum as a Service) through channel partners: Telecoms (Data Carrier), System Integrators and Data Center Operators. ConnectiviTree’s network design, business model, and planned white label functionality, easy order and rapid provisioning creates a scalable and low-cost business opportunity for our channel partners to address the rapidly growing market for global transport of data for large Enterprise. To help capture demonstrated demand, ConnectiviTree plans to connect over 250 Points of Presence within Europe and beyond.

www.connectivitree.com – [email protected]

Windstream Wholesale Media Contact
Scott Morris, 501-748-5342
[email protected]

ConnectiviTree Media Contact
Eugen Gebhard, +49 160 6190165
[email protected]

Source: Windstream Holdings

Powering an Interconnected Future

Join Windstream Wholesale CRO, Joe Scattareggia and guest Pat O’Hare, COO of Boldyn Networks’ NY and NJ Regions as they dive into the recent rebrand and restructuring journey of Boldyn Networks following its transition from Zenfi and acquisition by BAI Communications. Together, they explore the core competencies and synergies of the two companies, their trusted partnership, and the significance of creating a mutually beneficial co-opetition to support end-user customers and bridge the digital divide.

July 11, 2023

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Windstream, a privately held communications and software company, and Sterlite Technologies Ltd., STL
(NSE: STLTECH), a leading fiber optic cable manufacturer, today announced an expansion of their partnership to support Windstream’s large-scale fiber construction projects.

The expanded partnership will support consumer-focused, fiber-to-the-home builds by Kinetic by Windstream as well as high-bandwidth optical long-haul fiber routes developed for content and cloud providers by Windstream Wholesale.

With Windstream as the anchor customer, STL opened its first U.S. cable manufacturing plant in Kershaw County, South Carolina, in 2022. The plant is located near the southeastern heart of Windstream’s footprint, reducing transportation costs and delivery times while creating jobs for Americans.

Kinetic by Windstream is investing $2 billion in private capital to expand Gigabit internet service to homes and businesses across 18 states.

“We are committed to bringing the fastest, most reliable internet service to communities across our 18-state footprint using the best construction materials manufactured here in America by STL,” said Jeff Small, president of Kinetic by Windstream. “Additionally, STL and Windstream are extremely well-positioned to take advantage of future market opportunities such as the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that is expected to extend fiber internet service to thousands of rural homes in and around our service area.”

The BEAD Program and other federal infrastructure projects include domestic manufacturing requirements for certain equipment, including fiber optic cable. STL’s state-of-the-art, Industry 4.0-certified manufacturing facility in South Carolina produces “Made in America” fiber for Windstream and other service providers. STL’s on-shore production capacity and its global supply chain management capabilities support its ability to offer shorter-than-average market lead times for its production materials. STL was able to make the investment to establish on-shore production capacity in part due to its partnership with Kinetic and its role in helping Kinetic fulfill its $2 billion fiber-to-the-home expansion program.

“For Windstream Wholesale, it is a top priority to deliver the best reach and experience to our customers, including the world’s largest hyperscalers,” said Buddy Bayer, president of Windstream Wholesale. “And we want to do it fast. Windstream sets the bar high in terms of technology and engineering and we are confident that STL, with nearly 30 years of optical expertise, will ably support our connectivity ambitions.”

Windstream Wholesale, an optical technology leader of fast and flexible advanced solutions, has multiple fiber construction projects underway including an extension of its Tulsa-to-Little Rock, Arkansas, route to Memphis, a new build from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida, and a new build from New York City to Montreal.

STL began providing optical networking solutions to Windstream in February 2021. It has expanded its offering set to provide advanced optical designs like high-fiber count Intelligently Bonded Ribbon and Flat Ribbon, in addition to its loose tube optical cables. These products are designed to ensure faster rollout and high scalability, aligning with Windstream Wholesale’s requirements for metro, and long-haul optical networks that currently provide up to 400G wave services and will support 800G transmission in the future.

STL also provides Kinetic with various sizes of high-quality loose tube fiber optic cable that the company is deploying across its mostly rural footprint. STL’s Intelligently Bonded Ribbon fiber cable, which is smaller in diameter and can be spliced more efficiently than standard fiber, will be key to Kinetic’s future network buildouts.

“We think of our customers first,” said Paul Atkinson, CEO of STL’s Optical Networking business. “Our goal is to partner and co-develop advanced and sustainable Optical solutions with our key customers so that they can contribute to America’s broadband ambitions. I am very excited to work ever more closely with Windstream and collectively create value for communities and businesses in the US.”

About Windstream

Windstream Holdings is a privately held communications and software company. Windstream offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. The company also provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and small and midsize businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. Additional information is available at windstream.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Windstream.

About STL

STL is a leading global optical and digital solutions company providing advanced offerings to build 5G, Rural, FTTx, Enterprise and Data Center networks. The company, driven by its purpose of ‘Transforming Billions of Lives by Connecting the World’, designs and manufactures in 4 continents with customers in more than 100 countries. Telecom operators, cloud companies, citizen networks, and large enterprises recognize and rely on STL for advanced capabilities in Optical Connectivity, Global Services, and Digital and Technology solutions to build ubiquitous and future-ready digital networks. STL’s business goals are driven by customer-centricity, R&D and sustainability. Championing sustainable manufacturing, the company has committed to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2030. With top talent from 30+ nationalities, STL has earned numerous ‘Great Place to Work’ awards and been voted as the ‘Best Organisation for Women’
Read more, Contact us,stl.tech | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube

Category: Corporate

Windstream Contact:
Scott Morris, 501-748-5342
[email protected]

Media Relations
Khushboo Chawla
Phone: +919711619114
[email protected]

Agency Contact
Chevaan Seresinhe
Phone +44 797 1967 644
[email protected]

Investor Relations
Pankaj Dhawan
Phone: +918130788887
[email protected]

Source: Windstream Holdings

November 2023

Pioneering a New Era in the Telecommunications Industry

Why 400G with Windstream Wholesale?

400G | Coast-to-Coast

400G | Regional Rapid Fiber

What does this mean for the future?

Powering an Interconnected Future

Need to know more?