World Wide Packets, the leading provider of Ethernet Access Networking Solutions, announced that it has signed a contract with Port Blakely Communities to upgrade its Issaquah Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) from a data-only network to a bandwidth delivery system that supports both current and next-generation applications to the subscriber for the development's planned 3,200 homes. The initial contract calls for the immediate installation of World Wide Packets' LightningEdge switches in 1,500 existing homes as well as in "hub" locations throughout the development.

"Our new community network will allow us to keep up with the evolution of new content that can be delivered to homeowners. We wanted to be able to stay ahead of the curve and the rapid pace of the consumer electronics evolution," said Judd Kirk, CEO of Port Blakely Communities. "World Wide Packets' LightningEdge was the best solution because it has allowed us to scale with the growth of the development as well as offer a host of cutting-edge voice, video and data services that gives us a competitive advantage."

"The migration from simple downstream services such as Internet access to rich, peer-to-peer services is a natural one for fiber-based networks such as HFN," noted Bill Potter, President of the Issaquah Highlands Technical Advisory Group. "The benefits for homeowners are far-ranging from more choice and better pricing for local and long distance services to HD-quality movies on demand, as well as DVD-quality videoconferencing with schools, hospitals, and other local institutions. We are also partnering with local businesses to bring an HD experience from the fiber directly to new plasmas or LCDs located anywhere in the home."

The deployment at Issaquah Highlands is another example that demonstrates the power of the World Wide Packets solution to deliver new services to customers using Active Ethernet as the catalyst," said Dave Curry, CEO of World Wide Packets. "The possibilities for residents at Issaquah Highlands is far-reaching. For example, we see homeowners' using HFN to learn network technologies and introducing creative media. Networks such as these will become part of the daily fabric of their lives and we are proud to be the enabling technology behind it."