Geneseo strengthens regional connectivity with resilient, cost-efficient core

The challenge

Rising demand meets the cost and complexity of monolithic solutions

As demand for high-speed connectivity grew across its rural Illinois footprint, Geneseo Communications faced the limits of an ageing 10G core connecting a dozen community sites. Rising traffic from Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and business services increased the pressure on several network segments, calling for more capacity. However, finding a solution that balanced functionality, performance, and cost was far from straightforward. 

Ron Hartman, Central Office Manager, Geneseo Communications, explains why a long Request for Proposal (RFP) process got stalled because of the high price and complexity of the network designs proposed. 

“After several months of proposals, we came to the realization that everything meeting our criteria felt like overkill, while some promising ideas were excluded. Even though we were eager to move forward, we wanted to make the right decision for this major investment and for our communities. So we paused the process and did some soul searching on how to better define what we really needed.”

The Solution

Separating layers for a simpler, more scalable design

Geneseo determined that breaking out different parts of the project into separate RFPs could open the door to more suitable network designs. This included separating Layer 1 transport from Layer 3 routing and from TDM-to-IP conversion. For layer 1 transport, Geneseo qualified a proposal from long-time partner Goldfield using Smartoptics muxponders. The resulting modular network architecture combines 400G rings with dedicated 100G router drops, active-active LAG protection, and only one logical hop back to the core – delivering 200G of resilient capacity at every location. 

“We hadn't heard of Smartoptics before, and when they showed up at our office, the entire  pitch was, ‘just plug it in and it’ll work’. It sounded too good to be true, but that’s exactly what happened. It was so simple, we set it up ourselves, and everything came up on the first try. The best part is that we get simplicity, capacity and flexibility all in one solution,” says Ron.

Extending the open design toward Chicago

Following the successful core deployment, Geneseo began expanding its network eastward to establish new connections with major internet backbones in Chicago. The extension includes a midpoint in Morris, Illinois, and adds diverse routes to strengthen reach and resilience. By applying the same Smartoptics-based open Layer 1 transport design, Geneseo can easily scale capacity and integrate new sites over time without disrupting existing services. 

“If we need to bring up a different segment, or if a customer needs 100G transport from Geneseo to Chicago, we can do that. By extending our reach toward Chicago with Smartoptics, we’re opening up more opportunities for the communities we serve, giving businesses and residents in rural Illinois the same kind of high-speed access you’d expect in more urban areas. For our communities, it means stronger connections for businesses, schools, and local institutions that rely on fast, reliable bandwidth,” says Ron.

The Result

Cost efficiency, resiliency and a foundation for continued growth

After a year and a half from the start of the RFP process to completion, Geneseo achieved its goal of lowering both upfront investment and future expansion costs with Smartoptics. Compact, energy-efficient hardware and zero license fees for alien wavelengths helps reduce total cost of ownership. The new network architecture is simple to operate, strengthens redundancy, and provides a future-ready platform for continued capacity growth. 

“The separation between Layers 1 and 3 allows me to work on routers seamlessly. I can take a router out of service, make changes, and know it won’t impact anything else on that ring. My takeaway from the RFP journey is to listen to the people around you, keep things simple, and think about how to separate the parts of the network so a single issue doesn’t affect everything else. Smartoptics is well aligned with that approach and gives us confidence to keep growing and innovating how we connect our communities,” says Ron.

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