GTC Broadband, Clearfield(R) Bring Fiber to Thousands of Southeastern Missouri Homes

GTC Reports Significant Increase in Sales With New Fiber-Based Services

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Granby Telephone Company (GTC) Broadband has launched a multi-phase fiber to the home (FTTH) initiative in southwestern Missouri with fiber management from Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD). The first phase of the Active Ethernet deployment, affecting approximately 2,500 subscribers, is scheduled to be completed next summer; while the entire project is slated for completion in 2014.

The Granby based telecommunications company is already realizing significant increases in sales of its high speed internet, high definition television and other fiber-enhanced service offerings. According to GTC Project Manager Kevin Johnson, "People all over the world want to have this kind of fiber connectivity for broadband, IP, video, or phone service. Our customers' family and friends in other parts of the country and neighboring communities say they can't believe that a small community is getting such modern, up-to-date, world class services."

To manage the multitude of fibers in this Active Ethernet deployment, GTS opted for Clearfield's FieldSmart® Fiber Crossover Distribution System (FxDS), a custom-configured system of fiber management components that reduces the cost of fiber deployment. As part of the FxDS system, GTS availed itself of Clearview Patch and Splice Cassettes and FxDS Tie Panels loaded with multi-fiber breakout style cables.

Johnson noted that they are, in effect, future-proofing the FTTH project by going with Clearfield's state-of-the-art fiber technology. "Clearfield was a clear choice because it's big enough to get the job done, yet small enough to be adaptable and maneuverable. Its product line and pricing is what we were looking for," he said.

"The biggest selling point to our customers has probably been the value this will bring to their homes. Realtors tell us that a property's worth is much greater if they have fiber to the home. Eventually, this brings people on board. Whether customers are trying the internet for the first time or they're taking bigger and broader services packages, it has significantly increased our sales in these areas where fiber is already up."

About GTC Broadband Granby Telephone Company [GTC Broadband] is a full service telecommunications company based in Granby, Missouri. It offers telephone, broadband internet, and high definition television/video services to residences and businesses throughout southwestern Missouri. For more information, go to http://www.gtcbroadband.net.

About Clearfield, Inc. Clearfield, Inc. designs the FieldSmart fiber management platform — the only fiber management platform to be designed around a single architecture for the inside plant, outside plant and access network. Scaling from 12 to 1728 ports, FieldSmart supports a wide range of panel and cabinet configurations, densities, connectors and adapter options, and are offered alongside an assortment of passive optical components. Clearfield provides a complete line of fiber and copper assemblies for inside plant, outside plant and access networks. Clearfield is a public company traded on NASDAQ: CLFD.

CONTACT:  Clearfield, Inc.
          Gary Young
          612-247-8123
          garydyoung@comcast.net

Released November 29, 2010