ADTRAN enables micro-community of the future in Texas

Fiber network at Walsh will deliver up to 10Gig broadband to homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and more

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 2016-- ADTRAN^® , Inc., (NASDAQ: ADTN), a leading provider of next-generation open networking solutions, today announced that, through its successful Enabling Communities, Connecting Lives program, it is helping to lay the foundation to build and connect Smart Cities and micro-communities across the country, including the recently announced Walsh community in Fort Worth, Texas. Developed by Republic Property Group, the 7,200-acre Texas neighborhood will feature the fastest residential fiber network in the country. Frog, a next-generation technology and internet provider, has designed the infrastructure and connectivity for homes and businesses at Walsh, and will leverage ADTRAN’s Gigabit broadband platform to help bring 10Gig internet speeds to Fort Worth.

“Our goal is for Walsh to become a new center of innovation for Texas and the nation. To deliver on that vision, Frog assembled a team on the forefront of infrastructure development that could imagine and design technology solutions at Walsh that treat internet connectivity as a fourth utility, requiring the same weight as a community’s need for reliable water, gas and electricity,” said Tony Ruggeri, co-CEO of Republic Property Group. “ADTRAN’s industry-leading hardware plays a critical role in enabling us to build and implement a flexible, scalable network that will support advances in technology far into the future, while also delivering 10Gig internet speeds to Walsh residents and businesses today.”

By the year 2020, Gartnerpredicts 1.1 billion connected things are expected to be used by Smart Cities. Additionally, the FTTH Councilcites a 3.1 percent increase in property value for homes with access to high-speed fiber broadband, as well as a 1.1 percent increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) of the community as a whole. For these reasons and more, both micro-communities and Smart Cities are proactively laying the connectivity infrastructure that will continue to meet and exceed broadband needs today and in the future.

Among the first to benefit from 10Gig connectivity at Walsh will be students attending a new Aledo ISD elementary school. The school, set to open for the 2017-2018 school year, will be the first of as many as eight future elementary schools located in Walsh neighborhoods. The schools will be in an award-winning school district that intends to support a science, technology, engineering, math and the arts (STEAM) curriculum.

“From connected homes and autonomous cars to advanced healthcare parks and education initiatives, we are seeing a shift from providers simply delivering high-speed internet to homes, businesses, hospitals and schools. Providers are now looking to offer a more holistic connection that goes beyond providing connectivity within the four walls of an establishment, but connecting these establishments to each other,” said Mitch Fleming, vice president of carrier sales, ADTRAN. “Service providers are recognizing that scalability is key when building a connectivity infrastructure of the future enabling communities, like Walsh, to take traditional neighborhoods to the next level.”

Homebuilders at Walsh broke ground this fall, with presales beginning in the Fort Worth, Texas, neighborhood in early 2017. Corporate campuses, local businesses and residents will have immediate access to the nation’s fastest internet and most affordable 10Gig service plans upon moving to Walsh, with onsite customer service provided to the community by Frog representatives. Walsh residents will receive 2Gig internet services with costs covered by their homeowners’ association dues, and they have the ability to upgrade to up to 10Gig service plans. The initial phase of development at Walsh will feature amenities including a market, a 10,000-square-foot-gym, miles of hiking and walking trails and a community co-working space. To learn more about Walsh, visit walshtx.com.

About Frog

Frog is a technology solutions provider, focused on the design and implementation of community infrastructures and next generation high bandwidth internet services. The company is led by individuals with proven track records of success in gigabit community development, including at the award-winning Lake Nona, Florida, master-planned community.

About Walsh

Walsh is the next great neighborhood of Fort Worth. Located west of downtown Fort Worth where I-20 and I-30 merge and spanning 7,200 acres, Walsh is the largest development underway in the U.S. within 12 minutes of a major city center. At completion, Walsh will feature more than 15,000 homes and a community of 50,000 residents. Homes at Walsh are zoned for Aledo Independent School District.