Erickson Retirement Communities Deploy TE Connectivity’s Passive Optical LAN

TE Connectivity, Cisco and Noovis team up to install gigabit fiber optic networks for Erickson Living in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 4, 2015 /CNN Money/ — TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity, has teamed up with Noovis and Cisco Systems to deploy TE’s Optical LAN Solution and Cisco’s ME 4600 Series Multiservice Optical Access Platform to enhance quality of life for seniors residing in Erickson Living communities. Erickson Living is an innovative leader in vibrant senior living with over 23,000 people residing across 18 campuses nationwide.

The new fiber optic network brings together several applications including broadband Internet, high-definition television (HDTV), security cameras, and health monitoring, while adding pervasive Wi-Fi coverage and distributed antenna systems (DAS) for improved mobile phone coverage.

“Our residents are incredibly connected and tech-savvy, so broadband services are not new to them,” says John Triscoli, senior vice president of Enterprise Technology and Programs at Erickson Living. “What is new is that this fiber optics network is a highly converged, future-proof and very green solution which will consume up to 60 percent less energy than a traditional copper-based network. This fiber network is a key pillar of our ‘digital resident’ strategy.”

“Lower energy costs are just one of several benefits with TE’s Optical LAN Solution,” says Jaxon Lang, vice president of TE Broadband Network Solutions. “Fiber reaches up to 12 miles, which makes it ideal as a campus technology. It also uses up to 80 percent less space in wiring closets, thus freeing up valuable real estate.”

Noovis, a network engineering and systems integrator, served as the solutions architect and project manager. “Noovis’s vast gigabit passive optical network experience was instrumental in supporting the first enterprise deployment of our ME4600 GPON-capable platform in North America,” says Charles Tsai, director of Product Management for Cisco.

Tom Napoli, vice president of Business Development at Noovis, who has worked on the Erickson project since its inception four years ago, added, “Supporting Erickson Living and their valued residents has been a rewarding experience and this network will meet Erickson’s broadband requirements for decades to come.”