Windstream Wholesale has announced a major upgrade to its optical infrastructure, launching a strategic overbuild and enhancement of its network route between Tallahassee, Florida, and Houston, Texas. In collaboration with Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), the project will introduce advanced Ciena line systems, aimed at significantly boosting network capacity, reducing latency, and enabling high-performance services that meet the growing demands of digital transformation and AI-driven data growth.
The network improvement initiative focuses on deploying next-generation optical technology that supports 400G services across multiple paths today, with future support for 800G along this critical Gulf route. Service orders are now being accepted, allowing Windstream Wholesale to offer diverse, high-speed routes connecting Texas and the Southeastern U.S., with enhanced reliability and scalability.
“As demand for high-capacity bandwidth continues to rise, particularly in regions experiencing AI-driven infrastructure growth like Texas, this overbuild strengthens our position as a key enabler of next-generation connectivity,” said Joe Scattareggia, President of Windstream Wholesale. “Partnering with Ciena allows us to seamlessly enhance our existing FLX and RLS network, which already includes routes such as the Beach Route and the Florida-to-Atlanta corridor.”
Ciena’s Reconfigurable Line System
The integration of Ciena’s Reconfigurable Line System (RLS) brings Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) monitoring capabilities into the network, which improves diagnostics and enables quicker issue resolution. These advancements support Windstream’s ongoing mission to deliver premium networking solutions with improved operational resilience and service reliability.
Ciena’s Kevin Sheehan, CTO for the Americas, emphasized the significance of the collaboration: “This partnership underscores our shared commitment to innovation and performance in optical networking. By utilizing RLS and other next-generation technologies, Windstream Wholesale gains a more scalable, cost-effective network capable of supporting the region’s rapid data and cloud growth.”
Key benefits of the upgrade would include fewer required regeneration points (regens), improving both service performance and cost structure. The reduction in regens would not only contribute to lower operational costs but also enable more competitive service pricing for business and wholesale customers.
Additionally, by leveraging Ciena’s modular RLS, Windstream Wholesale can remotely provision express sites by connecting multiple ROADM segments. This results in fewer truck rolls, faster service provisioning, and a streamlined deployment model – all essential features for meeting the time-sensitive needs of customers expanding into AI and high-performance computing workloads.
