Calix bringing 1Gbps broadband to Yorkshire housing project

US firm Calix has won an equipment supply contract for a project that aims to bring ultra-fast broadband services to a new housing project in Yorkshire, UK.

The £40m ($64m) housing project of Derwenthorpe is a major development on the outskirts of the city of York, and has been designed as an outstanding example of sustainable community living for villages of the future.

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust has opted to hook up the new development with fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections offering speeds as high as 1Gbps (unheard-of anywhere else in the UK), and has chosen the Calix E7-2 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP) to deliver these speeds.

Nigel Ingram of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust said: “Broadband services, especially the kind of high bandwidth services that fibre can offer, are extremely powerful for communities such as Derwenthorpe – they open up boundless possibilities for community living, creating a rich mix of work, leisure and residential services in one place. They are a key economic enabler and a significant part of this housing concept. We expect to replicate this concept in other communities in and around York.”

Derwenthorpe will take advantage of the high-capacity of the E7-2, with the ability to support up to 48 subscribers over point-to-point GE in each modular chassis to residences and business locations such as office parks and high density commercial areas.

As the project continues to grow, additional E7-2 platforms can be added modularly on a pay-as-you-grow basis, while still being managed as one network element.