Clearfield's Brian Schrand Addresses Transition From 'Fiber to the Curb' to 'Fiber to the Basement' at Industry Conference

Schrand Emphasizes the Importance of Expandability and Flexibility for ROI

MINNEAPOLIS, April 27, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In his address at an industry conference this week, Brian Schrand, Senior Member of Technical Staff for Clearfield, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLFD), talked about the trend to extend Fiber to the Curb (FTTC) deployments into the home/business or Fiber to the Basement (FTTB).

Schrand, who was speaking at the Broadband Properties Summit in Dallas, Texas, said that while FTTB is certainly the order of the day, for many customers, capital expenditure (CAPEX) limits require their deployments to stop at the curb. However, there's still opportunity to expand at a later date, Schrand noted, for customers who utilize scalable building block products like the Clearfield Cassette and xPAK. Some other key points that Schrand made, include:

 
  Increasing bandwidth demands are forcing the need to drive fiber closer to the customer. He cited the example of cellular carriers requesting fiber.
 
  Thanks to the advent of internet TV, network traffic will become more consumer-oriented. Ten years ago, it was primarily business-oriented.
 
  When designing a FTTC network, consideration should be given to size the backbone fiber cables to allow for future growth.
 
  Fiber is the only future-proof media that will handle rising bandwidth demands.
 
  CAPEX, of which almost 70 percent is labor, will drive the need for hybrid networks.

About Clearview Cassette

As an "Any Application, Anywhere Multiplier," the Clearview Cassette ensures that all the basic principles of fiber management are satisfied without exposure to environmental hazards or human interaction. Integrated cassette components fully nest into the cassette's main housing to support any application or fiber type desired. Within the cassette, all fibers from the sub-assembly are slack-stored, bend radius protected, and secured against accidental physical damage from handling. Designed to handle the toughest operating environments, the Clearview Cassette provides flexibility and reliable performance in the access network, the central office and in the field.

The Clearview Cassette utilizes a clear outer housing allowing for quick and easy first step troubleshooting of unacceptable light conditions. Tool-less snap-together nesting covers and a removable 12-pack adapter plate allow for easy access to terminated sub-assemblies for maintenance and cleaning. About xPAK Cassette The latest innovation in fiber management, the Clearview xPAK Cassette is engineered to land small port count fiber terminations and optical components as conveniently and inexpensively as possible. The xPAK simplifies fiber management to the level of a consumable good.

At first glance, Clearview xPAK looks like any other LGX compatible package. But upon closer inspection, technicians will see a new generation of innovation in the delivery of terminated fiber assemblies. Clearview xPAK unfolds to a flat, single-piece element in which all required components for fiber protection are integrated.

About Clearfield, Inc. Clearfield, Inc. designs and manufactures the WaveSmart Platform of Powered Optical Signal products, including the WaveSmart PowerNode 1550 EDFA, and the FieldSmart fiber management platform, which includes its latest generation FieldSmart Fiber Distribution System (FxDS), FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Center (FSC) and FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) series. The FxDS, FSC and FDP product lines are built upon the Clearview Cassette, delivering the industry's only fiber management platform that is built upon a single architecture. Scaling from 12 to 1728 ports, FieldSmart support 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. More information about Clearfield, Inc., its products and its people can be found at http://www.ClearfieldConnection.com.

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

Released April 27, 2011