ORLANDO--Ethernet-over-copper provider Actelis Networks this week announced that CLEC Broadview Networks is deploying its products to provide Metro Ethernet service. The announcement comes on the heels of contract wins with two major European CLECs, Colt and Easynet, both pan-European providers of competitive business services.

The contracts represent a new wave of wins for Actelis in the competitive carrier market, with more to come, said Mehmet Balos, president of America’s and chief marketing officer of Actelis.

“We are becoming very prevalent in the CLEC market,” he said. “The European companies are both very well-funded competitors and among the largest CLECs in Europe. They are offering 10 [megabit-per-second] and 20 [megabit-per-second] services today, but they can go as high as 40 with eight pair [of copper wires].”

Broadview serves the Northeast corridor of the U.S. including metro areas in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The company also is rolling out 10 Mb/s and 20 Mb/s services, although many small to mid-sized businesses will be taking services at bandwidths lower than 10 Mb/s, Balos said.

Actelis’ Carrier Copper over Ethernet products are gaining traction, he said, because, as Ethernet gains popularity, service providers need a means of reaching more of their customers than those housed in the 9% of European buildings and 11.7% of U.S. buildings that are connected by fiber optics, Balos said. That U.S. figure has gone up only 1.7% in the last three years, he added. After five years of being in the field selling copper over Ethernet, Actelis has more than 4500 systems deployed in 25 countries, he said.

One of the company’s biggest advantages is the ability to use repeaters to extend the reach of its Ethernet solutions.

“Rate and reach is the critical differentiator for us,” Balos said.

The company also announced this week that it has added new Ethernet switching software, version 5.0-Advanced, to offer enhanced service delivery, OSS support and copper diagnostic capabilities of its Carrier Ethernets products.