Pabst Farms to Test SBC’s Fiber-to-the-Premises Technology

Pabst Farms to Test SBC’s Fiber-to-the-Premises Technology

MILWAUKEE – SBC Communications and Pabst Farms, a 1,500-acre master planned community located in the City of Oconomowoc and Town of Summit have reached an agreement in which SBC Wisconsin will become the preferred communications provider for the development.
As part of the agreement, SBC-Wisconsin will provide a trial of Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) technology to the first Pabst Farms residences and deploy fiber optics technology throughout the development for interested businesses and possibly residents.
The SBC trial of FTTP at Pabst Farms is the first deployment of this technology to single-family homes in a greenfield location in SBC’s 13-state region. SBC is planning several other trial locations in other states during 2004.
FTTP is a promising technology that could provide a foundation for next-generation broadband networks, capable of providing nearly limitless voice, video and data bandwidth for consumers and small businesses. The technology is capable of supporting a number of potential future applications, such as photo sharing, PC backup and telecommuting, along with video conferencing, premises surveillance and enhanced video services, which could be delivered on demand and in high-definition.
Under the Pabst Farms agreement, residents who participate in the trial, including those living in the 23 sites that will be featured in the 2004 MBA Parade of Homes, will receive FTTP broadband Internet service during the trial period, which will begin later this year.
The initial FTTP broadband internet service will consist of high-speed Internet connections running at 3 Megabits per second (Mbps) upstream and downstream. SBC voice services will be available to Pabst Farms residents at tariffed rates. SBC will make high-speed DSL broadband available throughout Pabst Farms to all residences and businesses, regardless of the outcome of the trial.
“Pabst Farms residents will be among the very first to have access to FTTP, a very promising new telecommunications technology,” said Paul La Schiazza, president of SBC Wisconsin. “Direct fiber-optic connections should help to make the Pabst Farms development even more attractive for residents and businesses locating there.”
“The unique lifestyle experience that the Pabst Farms master planned community offers its residents represents the perfect setting for SBC Wisconsin to showcase its cutting-edge technology and industry-leading communications bundles,” La Schiazza said.
Peter Bell, president of Pabst Farms Development LCC, said, “By working with SBC Wisconsin to provide a state-of-the art, total communications package which includes voice, DSL, data, long distance, video and wireless services, all in one monthly residential bill, we feel we are truly enhancing our mission to offer a rare way of life to those who decide to call Pabst Farms home.”
While SBC Wisconsin is the designated preferred communications provider, residents and businesses will be able to select other providers if they so choose.
Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield), co-chairman of the Select Committee on Job Creation and owner of a technology business, and Rep. Scott Jensen (R-Waukesha), chairman of the Assembly Energy and Utilities Committee, have been strong supporters of creating a regulatory environment that encourages communications investment.
“State-of-the-art technology like what is being deployed at Pabst Farms could be more broadly available if government creates an environment that is friendly to investment,” Kanavas said. “I’m hopeful that the benefits that Pabst Farms residents and businesses will see will someday be available throughout Waukesha County, the Milwaukee area and all of Wisconsin.”
“The availability of broadband makes Wisconsin more attractive to employers and employees,” Jensen said. “Taking away government impediments to private investments will help jump start our economy and create jobs.”
As a result of the DSL deployment to Pabst Farms, SBC broadband service is also now being made available to office parks in Oconomowoc west of Highway 67 and N of I-94. DSL has been available to another several thousand businesses and residential units in Oconomowoc since 2000.
Pabst Farms is a unique and inviting master-planned community located off I-94 and Hwy 67 in the City of Oconomowoc and Town of Summit unlike any other development in Southeastern Wisconsin. A place where you can truly live, work and play in grand style. It offers a complete living experience by integrating five different environments – The Residences at Pabst Farms, Pabst Farms Town Centre, The Shops at Pabst Farms, Pabst Farms Commerce Centre, and Pabst Farms Research/Technology Park – all into one thoughtfully developed master-planned community.)