D-LINK helps Colorado phone company brings internet access to rural America

Supports Implementation of End-to-End Fiber Optic High Speed Connection for Wiggins Telephone Association Customers
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — The fewer than 1,000 people living in Wiggins, Colorado have something in common with everyone else in the country, they want high-speed Internet access in their homes.

To meet these needs, Wiggins Telephone Association, a growing conglomerate of small telecom companies that has been serving the area since 1951, had plans to replace its burdened, outdated network, but required a flexible, modern solution to help meet the Internet connectivity service needs of customers.

Wiggins Telephone has been a key force in developing economic and technological progress in Wiggins and the surrounding rural area, offering high-speed Internet connectivity, cell phone plans, and traditional wired telephone service.

However, Wiggins Telephone Association’s copper telephone network was nearing the end of its 30-year lifecycle. Demand for new data services was placing new burdens on the existing telecommunications network. Many customers were still using dial-up connections, and Wiggins was not able to deploy broadband services like DSL in many areas because of limitations associated with copper.

After studying the situation closely, the company decided to implement a long-range solution that would meet user requirements for the next 30+ years. “Fiber to the home was the only logical choice,” said Casey Quint, plant supervisor for Wiggins Telephone.

In order to deliver connectivity into local homes and businesses, Wiggins needed a “set-top box,” essentially a router for each of the premises. “We didn’t want the customer to provide their own router,” said Terry Hendrickson, Wiggins CEO and general manager. “We decided to take ownership of that piece. This way we can help them manage and support the equipment, and we don’t end up having to support a huge variety of self-installed routers from different manufacturers. It’s easier for the customer, and it’s easier on us.”

Another regional telecom provider, Golden West Internet Solutions, suggested that Wiggins install D-Link routers in their local service area.

After testing several routers from various manufacturers, Wiggins chose the D-Link® Wireless G Router (WBR-1310). The 802.11n router connects to an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) card provided by Calix (which is Wiggins’ transport provider). That card links to a gigabit fiber port outside the structure.

“The D-Link router offered us a quality low-cost solution that we could feel comfortable putting into the customer’s house,” said Hendrickson. “We went with D-Link because of their support, and authentication and handing out the IP addresses was easy and reliable with their equipment.”

“With D-Link, we can deliver end-to-end optic fiber connectivity - from 3MB to 100MB - to any home or business. We offer tiered pricing, so we can be flexible as bandwidth needs increase,” said Quint. “It’s as good as it gets.”

The service area covered by Wiggins includes 1,600 phone lines that spread over 2,000 square miles. That’s less than one customer per square mile. “It’s a rural area, but we need high speed Internet services just like people do in the cities. Perhaps more so. We can’t just go around the corner to a coffee shop and get Wi-Fi. People in the city take that for granted,” said Hendrickson.

Wiggins is hoping that the project will serve as a stimulus to the local economy. “Internet connectivity is essential these days,” said Hendrickson. “We have a lot of work from home moms and home businesses in the area, and they need the bandwidth.”