Rural ISP Levels Up to 100G
Scatter Creek Infonet Expands Rural Coverage with XKL Partnership
Fixed broadband traffic continues to grow, driven by new subscribers and increasing data usage per household. Forecasts predict traffic growth of 17-25% annually through to 2033. For ISPs to keep up, network infrastructure needs to be upgraded and refreshed
regularly.
The Challenge
Growing subscriber demand and increasing access speeds pushed Scatter Creek Infonet’s 10 Gbps link to its internet exchange provider (IXP) to its limits. To eliminate this bottleneck and ensure reliable performance, Scatter Creek Infonet needed an upgrade to a 100Gbps connection and a second IXP for redundancy and load balancing.
Keep it Simple
Like many rural ISPs, Scatter Creek Infonet must carefully manage its budget and resources while. operating a state-of-the-art fiber network. It’s difficult to,be experts in all the networking technologies, so vendor support is critical throughout the equipment lifecycle.
“Easy to …” was another key requirement. Time is scarce and the equipment must be easy to install, operate, and maintain.
While larger DWDM systems can often include an array of features, many also include unnecessary ones. Right sizing the DWDM platform and avoiding over-engineering the network would help keep daily operations simple and manageable.
“As a smaller, rural ISP, we found that many commonly offered network solutions just didn’t suit our architecture. XKL really took the time to listen to our goals and draw on their expertise to show us a different way of proceeding,”
Brian Van Mondfrans, Scatter Creek Infonet
IT Manager
The Solution
An in-depth consultation and collaboration process surfaced the detailed requirements in all domains including technical performance, installation, integration with management platforms, testing & commissioning, operational workflows, and budgeting. While the process was extensive, it was also quick – it only took three months from initial contact with XKL to equipment arriving on site.
The final solution was comprised of various XKL products at four sites:
- DQT400, a 100G/400G transponder
- DMD-P, a passive DWDM mux/demux
- DMD-A, a DWDM mux/demux with integrated amplifiers
- DLA, an in-line amplifier with add/drop capabilities
The Results
Scatter Creek Infonet achieved a 40% reduction in operational expenses, driven by a combination of more efficient hardware, simplified network architecture and the elimination of costly recurring fees.
An integral part of this success was Scatter Creek Infonet’s ability to integrate with XKL equipment into their existing open-source management system using SNMP. Configuration, alarm monitoring and traffic statistics are all handled natively, without the need for proprietary tools and the associated expensive licensing fees.
The network is also 400G-ready, ensuring Scatter Creek Infonet is future-ready as bandwidth demands continue to grow. Beyond technical gains, the improved infrastructure has already enabled new partnerships with a Tier 3 provider, further reducing the company’s connectivity costs. These developments further strengthen the company’s role in supporting regional economic development and position it for long-term growth.
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About XKL
XKL delivers accessible DWDM solutions that are simple to deploy and easy to manage. Our built-to-order systems are developed with XKL’s customer-centric approach, ensuring reliable core, middle mile, and backhaul networks. Trusted by operators globally, XKL’s license-free model allows network teams of any size to meet the growing demand for optical network performance at layer 1.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Carson
jsa_xkl@jsa.net