PETALUMA, Calif., Nov. 18 -- Petaluma telecommunications provider Calix announced it will acquire a Minnesota fiber otpics firm for an undisclosed sum. Calix said its acquisition of Minneapolis-based Optical Solutions Inc., a provider of gigabit passive optical network (GPON) markets, will enable it to perform GPON fiber-to-the-premises deployments; offer a line of optical network terminals for residential, business and multitenant applications; accelerate GPON availability on its C7 multiservice access platform; and offer expertise in dealing with commercial FTTP deployments. Calix makes a multiservice access platform that lets telephone companies deliver voice, video and high-speed data over copper wire or fiber-optic lines. Optical Solutions' primary customers are independent operators, competitive operators, municipalities and developers. It has 140 customers serving close to 100,000 FTTP subscribers. Calix will keep Optical Solutions' Minneapolis location and most or all of its staff. After the merger, Calix will have about 350 employees. According to Calix president and CEO Carl Russo, "As service providers deliver a broader set of information, communication and entertainment services, they are employing diverse broadband access technologies to provide the needed capacity and functionality. Among these, GPON is rapidly becoming a strategic choice. Bringing together these two high-growth companies allows us to deliver solutions to our customers that fully address this diverse range of approaches." Optical Solutions president and CEO Mike Dagenais adds, "Joining Calix, a bellwether in the broadband access market, makes enormous sense for Optical Solutions. Together, with over 70 production IPTV deployments and more than 175 revenue-generating FTTP customers among our joint installed base of 300 service providers, we are able to deliver a wide range of field-proven solutions." Calix products are manufactured at several locations in the US and overseas, including China and Mexico. The company was founded in Petaluma in 1999 by former executives from Cisco Systems and Cerent Corp. For more information, visit: www.calix.com