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Optical Solutions Awarded Contract from CTC Date: February 22, 2005
Consolidated Telecommunications Company will bring all-fiber VoIP, IPTV and high-speed data services to Brainerd
area

MINNEAPOLIS – (Feb. 22, 2005) – Optical Solutions Inc., the market leader in next-generation GPON networks, today announced that Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) of Northern Minnesota will deploy the FiberPath GPON access platform as part of a competitive build-out to 15,000 potential customers in Brainerd, Baxter and Nisswa.

CTC, a cooperative with 10,000 access lines outside of the Brainerd metro area, is no stranger to advanced services. CTC’s ILEC customers currently enjoy advanced calling features, high-speed Internet access, and newly launched digital video. Last summer, after constructing a publicly financed fiber backbone to serve Brainerd-area schools, CTC was given irrevocable rights to use part of the trunk’s capacity for its own competitive service offering.

“We have a golden opportunity to provide next-generation services to customers who have long been underserved by
incumbent operators,” said Bill Stroot, director of operations at CTC. “With GPON FTTP, we can deliver a full range of IP services to residents, business owners and public properties, including VoIP, IPTV, high-speed data up to 30 Mbps, plus all of the traditional carrier-class services.”

CTC is deploying Optical Solutions’ FiberPath 500, the telco industry’s first gigabit Ethernet PON solution for the local
access market. FiberPath 500 is capable of delivering state-of-the-art IPTV, 100-plus Mbps data speeds and multiple telephone lines. The system is fully compliant with ITU FSAN standards, and is currently operating in more than 120 communities nationwide.

“Overbuilders like CTC that pit the strength of their local reputation and advanced FTTP network against large incumbent RBOCs and MSOs have a definite field advantage,” said Optical Solutions President and CEO Mike Dagenais. “We are pleased to be part of CTC’s initiative to enhance the quality of life in its hometown community.”

CTC’s CLEC deployment will get underway this summer, starting with the cities of Brainerd and Baxter. The cooperative aims to have its entire 100 square-mile overbuild completed by 2008.