An international company with domestic production

Adtran has customers, development sites and production facilities all over the world. But our headquarters are right here in the US, along with a big part of our design, support and production of broadband access equipment. We have over 30 years of in-house manufacturing experience in Huntsville, Alabama. We have over 270,000 square feet of manufacturing area across three buildings in Huntsville. Globally, we manufacture 2.2 million units per year and ship to 68 countries. These well-established facilities are a testament to Adtran’s extensive investment in domestic manufacturing. Our advanced manufacturing facilities specialize in surface mount and wave soldering, mechanical assembly, and in-circuit and functional testing. 

This commitment to fostering American innovation and expertise hasn’t gone unnoticed – we’ve been honored twice as the Large Manufacturer of the Year awardee from the state of Alabama.

Growing our capacity

That’s great, but we’re not done. Adtran recently announced an investment of up to $5 million in our Huntsville facility to increase US production capacity while providing up to 300 new jobs in Alabama. We’ll be expanding our current US production of optical line termination (OLT) equipment. And we’re also preparing to manufacture optical network terminals (ONTs) onshore. 

During this expansion, Adtran is investing in the community by partnering with local area schools for its high school apprenticeship program and developing a co-op program for college students. The diversity of Adtran’s workforce reflects the diversity of Alabama: People of color make up over 40% of Adtran’s manufacturing team and one-third identify as African American. 57% of manufacturing employees are women, compared to a manufacturing industry average of just 30%. 

But what does all this mean for your broadband expansion?

BEAD requirements – covered items

The BEAD Act includes some requirements for domestic production in order to qualify for funding. These requirements are specified in the “BEAD Waiver.” Let’s break down what section IV.B.1.b covers and how Adtran is positioned to meet these requirements:

Available today:

• Standalone OLTs (SDX 6000 Series)
• OLT cards (Total Access 5000 Combo PON card)

Available by the end of 2023:

• OLT optics
• ONTs
• OLT cabinets

In short, Adtran will have everything you need for BEAD-funded broadband rollouts, right on time.

BEAD requirements – exempt items

The BEAD waiver also specifies some exempt items that do not need to be domestically produced. This exemption covers all other electronic equipment, such as:

• Residential equipment, including SDGs and integrated ONT/RG units
• Shelf systems (except OLT cards)
• Carrier Ethernet
• Optical transport and monitoring
• Sync and timing
• Accessories: power supplies, cables, etc.
• Software

Adtran can also supply all this equipment for your network requirements.

Adtran supports Build America, Buy America 

At Adtran, we’re committed to being a trusted partner and supplier for regional service providers. This includes providing broadband access equipment that delivers advanced services while being eligible for BEAD funding. We’re building in America so you can buy American. Let us know how we can help you meet the needs of your community and business. Reach out to us here and let’s explore the possibilities together.