AFL Telecommunications Presents United Way of the Piedmont With $63K in Campaign Contributions

On May 21, AFL Telecommunications presented a $63,000 check for its annual United Way campaign to Kathy Dunleavy, President and CEO of United Way of the Piedmont. This year’s contribution is an increase of 22% in employee participation and 19% in giving over last year.

“AFL’s associates put forth a great effort in keeping up the momentum this year,” said Corie Culp, community relations manager of AFL Telecommunications. “As the economy struggles to regain strength, non-profit organizations have a larger burden to bear. We are committed to engaging AFL associates to make a difference in our community and in the lives of our citizens by getting involved with United Way and the agencies it serves.”

AFL kicked off its campaign with a corporate contribution of $5,000. To engage employees, AFL provided opportunities to learn about services in the area, participate in various events to raise funds, and be a part of team challenges. AFL ambassadors were recruited internally to answer questions and talk with other associates about United Way and its mission, as well as encourage associates to donate. An Agency Fair was held in April where 16 agencies from both Spartanburg and Greenville were invited set up a display and talk with associates about what they do, what their needs are and how they can help. AFL hosted a pancake breakfast, a chili competition and a company carnival where associates competed for prizes and bragging rights with a Wii Band Hero® and bowling competition, basketball hoops, speed pitch, and soccer kick and score. To further enhance the campaign, AFL matched, dollar for dollar, all monies donated over last year’s employee contributions.

“As we plan our annual United Way campaign, we want to make sure we are educating our associates about United Way and local agencies and generating excitement in giving time and resources to help others in need,” said Sherise Brown, Human Resources Director. “We’re pleased to continue supporting United Way year after year and we thank our employees for helping make a difference in the lives of so many people.”

AFL Announces 2010 Naruse Scholarship Recipient

AFL Telecommunications presented the 2010 - 2011 Naruse Scholarship Award last week to Brian Foley, son of Sean Foley, Market Development Manager for AFL's R&D Center and an AFL associate of 12 years. Brian is a graduating senior of JL Mann High School where he is ranked in the top 10 of his class. During his high school career, he was awarded "AP Scholar with Distinction", National Merit Scholar Letter of Commendation, and 1st place in a local Law Day Essay contest. He received recognition from several regional colleges for his academic achievements including the Washington and Lee Book Award, Furman Scholar, Wofford Scholar and Presbyterian College Fellow.

Brian is actively involved in high school through his participation in cross country, speech and debate and as captain of the academic team. Outside of school, he serves his church as an usher and a Peer Minister for his youth group. He is a Boy Scout and earned the rank of Eagle at age 16. His Eagle Scout project involved building a dock and beautifying the area at Paris Mountain’s Lake Buckhorn. The project included 70 hours of planning and personal effort, as well as managing over 190 volunteer man-hours. As part of the Student Conservation Association, he spent the last two summers living in wilderness areas for three to four weeks each building trails in Vermont and Alaska.

Brian received appointments to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY and was accepted into Clemson, Georgia Tech, Duke and University of Penn. He chose to attend MIT this fall, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.

The Naruse Scholarship Fund is administered by the Center for Scholarship Administration located in Greenville, South Carolina. Rising seniors of AFL associates are eligible for up to $2,000 per year, with a cap of $8,000 per student per year over a four-year period. The award is applied to the cost of tuition, room and board, fees, books and supplies.

AFL and Tellabs® Collaborate to Build Next Gen Networks

AFL and Tellabs today announced a partnership to build next generation networks combining the fiber optic products, engineering expertise, and integrated services of AFL with Tellabs optical and access products. By combining resources, both companies now offer best-in-class technology with comprehensive solutions to assist customers specifically for Smart Grid and Broadband Stimulus applications.

"Adding Tellabs expertise with GPON and Transport solutions to AFL’s strengths in product manufacturing, engineering and installation, we are able to provide full network design and business case tools to initiate, complement or upgrade next-generation networks," said Steve Maederer, National Sales Manager, Utilities for AFL. "The AFL and Tellabs partnership provides a unique value proposition including design, world class product solutions, and installation services for transport and access networks."

As a team, AFL and Tellabs will provide design assistance for access and transport networks, all passive network components including aerial and underground cabling solutions, closures, splitters and cabinets, the Tellabs® 1100 Multiservice Access Series and Tellabs® 7100 Optical Transport System platforms, and installation and provisioning services.

AFL and Tellabs will be exhibiting at the UTC Expo, Booth #314, in Indianapolis. For additional information, visit us online at AFLtele.com/go/Tellabs or Tellabs at www.tellabs.com/markets/ioc/stimulus.shtml

AFL Launches Optical Power Meter with Data Management and TRM

Suitable for both multimode and single-mode applications, the new Noyes® OPM5 Optical Power Meter is a full-featured, handheld power meter designed for measuring optical power in premise, Telco and broadband networks. The OPM5 allows the user to organize loss measurements into multiple files. The standard Wave ID feature automatically detects and sets the wavelength(s), preventing setup and measurement errors. By eliminating the need to test each wavelength individually, the OPM5 significantly increases efficiency, reduces technician errors, and saves testing time.

With a powerful PC analysis and reporting tool (TRM), users can apply industry standard-based rules to test results and create comprehensive certification reports. In addition, network Pass/Fail results demonstrating compliance to industry standards can be generated and illustrate headroom.

TRM is Windows® compatible software. Files are transferable via USB for analyzing, generating professional test or certification reports, and printing.

For additional information, visit www.AFLtele.com.

AFL Releases New Noyes OFL280 FlexTester

AFL Telecommunications announces the introduction of the Noyes OFL280 FlexTester, a hand-held, multifunction OTDR and loss test set offering incomparable flexibility and exceptional value. With unmatched combinations of fiber optic test functions, ease-of-use and portability, all OFL280 FlexTester models include an integrated single-mode 1310/1550 nm OTDR with PON-optimized and standard test modes, optical power meter, 1310/1550 nm laser source and visual fault locator.

Operating at 1310/1550 nm, the OFL280-100 is suitable for certifying point-to-point or FTTx PON fibers, allowing the detection of macro bends. The OFL280-101 adds 1625 nm, allowing certification of the L-band for transport use. Testing at 1490 nm is required by some network operators to certify FTTx PONs, making the OFL280-102 the best choice. The filtered, three wavelength OFL280-103 certifies dark fibers at 1310/1550 nm, fault-locates live FTTx fibers at 1625 nm, and measures FTTx power levels at 1490 and 1550 nm, all from a single test port. All OFL280 FlexTester models can test through FTTx PON splitters!

As with all Noyes OTDR's, test results may be saved as industry standard .SOR files, which can be transferred to a PC for viewing, printing and analysis using supplied Windows® compatible software.

The enhanced-capability OFL280 FlexTester will replace comparable OFL250 and OFL280 models with no price increases. For additional information, visit www.AFLtele.com.