Texas BOOT II funded fiber-to-the-home project to bring symmetrical gigFAST INTERNET^® to over 10,000 rural locations

DALLAS, Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DZS (OTC:DZSI), a developer of Network Edge and Connectivity systems and Cloud Edge software solutions enabling broadband everywhere, today announced that Rural Telecommunications America (RTA), a leading provider of next-generation internet services to rural communities across the United States, has chosen leading-edge DZS Velocity fiber access systems and Helix connected edge Wi-Fi solutions to deliver "gigFAST^® " internet services to 10,471 unserved rural broadband subscriber locations in Bastrop County, Texas. RTA, which manages more than 15,000 fiber route miles across its 25-state footprint, is leveraging a BOOT II $43 million grant to bring a state-of-the-art fiber-to-the-premises (FTTx) access network to this rural Texas county, east of Austin. Residences in these formerly unserved and underserved locations will now have the opportunity to subscribe to symmetrical gigabit services, with the potential for multi-gigabit services in the future, while businesses will have access to symmetrical gigabit, 10 gigabit, and 100 gigabit services.

"DZS has proven to be an ideal partner to help us continue delivering on our mission to bring gigFAST INTERNET to rural communities across America," said Donald Workman, Chief Operating Officer, RTA. "Given our positive experience with DZS in our previously announced FTTH network buildout in Texas' Bolivar Peninsula, their Build America, Buy America (BABA) certified solutions and our desire to partner with proven Texas-based companies, DZS and their best-in-class fiber access and in-home broadband solutions were the clear choice. We at RTA are committed to bridging the digital divide, and we are already looking beyond this project to address even more locations throughout Bastrop County and continuing to help build economic and social prosperity for the residents and businesses of this area."

"RTA is committed to bringing fiber and their gigFAST INTERNET capabilities to communities seeking superior broadband, voice and video services throughout Texas and across the country," said Jeff Liening, SVP Americas Sales, DZS. "We are proud that RTA has again selected our Velocity systems and Helix solutions to support bridging the digital divide. The BOOT II program is clearly a ramp-up for the $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and funds, of which Texas is the largest recipient, and we believe our success with RTA bodes well as a blueprint for how we can help innovative service providers throughout the U.S. to bring advanced broadband everywhere."

DZS solutions deployed by RTA include:

DZS Velocity V2 – This environmentally hardened access edge system offers a "system-on-a-card" architecture and enables cost-effective support and scale for any gigabit or multi-gigabit service from Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) to 10 Gigabit Symmetrical (XGS)-PON and beyond
DZS Helix 2466 – A portfolio of next-generation PON home gateways featuring dual-band WiFi 6 with whole-home wireless extensions and carrier-grade voice services

A wide array of DZS Fiber Access and Connected Edge solutions are BABA-certified and designed to support the needs of rural fiber deployments all across the U.S. both today and in the future. DZS solutions are standards-based, have proven interoperability with most vendors' equipment and can be readily managed and orchestrated alongside third-party solutions.

To learn more about DZS, visit https://www.dzsi.com .

About Rural Telecommunications America, Inc. (RTA)

RTA's gigFAST NETWORK® spans over 15,000 fiber route miles across the United States. By utilizing both Fiber-To-The-Home and Fixed Wireless Access technologies, RTA delivers affordable gigFAST INTERNET® to rural communities, empowering residents and businesses to connect online for entertainment, e-learning, telemedicine, and remote work. For more details, visit rtatel.com.

RTA, RTA logo, Rural Telecommunications of America, Inc., gigFAST, gigFAST INTERNET, gigFAST VOICE, gigFAST NETWORK are Trademarks of RTA.

About DZS

DZS Inc. (OTC:DZSI) is a developer of Network Edge and Connectivity systems and Cloud Edge software solutions enabling broadband everywhere.

DZS, the DZS logo, and all DZS product names are trademarks of DZS Inc. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective holders. Specifications, products, and/or product names are all subject to change.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the beliefs and assumptions of the Company's management as of the date hereof. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will," "would," variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. The Company's actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, those risk factors contained in the Company's SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including without limitation, the Company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. In addition, additional or unforeseen effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic climate may give rise to or amplify many of these risks. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. DZS undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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RTA Selects DZS to Bring World-Class Broadband Services to Texas' Bastrop County