VDSL2 Technology and News From The World

ECI Intros New FTTB Solutions

2008-02-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Israel-based ECI Telecom announced the introduction of a gigabit passive optical network and gigabit Ethernet (GbE) in addition to its suite of broadband access products. This is suited for fiber-to-the-building network requirements. Two new Optical Network Units (ONUs), G-PoweRAM 48V and the MiniCABTM 8V have been introduced which enable service providers to offer higher bandwidth cost- effectively.

ECI said that the G-PoweRAM 48V is suitable for large Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) with more population. This ONU will provide GPON connectivity to buildings and VDSL2 inside the premises. This will help service providers to support 48 subscribers using one unit. This ONU is based on network-processor technology which allows multi-play service for intelligence functionality.

ECI’s new MiniCAB 8V is a compact device suitable for smaller buildings with around 8 subscribers and allows service providers to deploy GbE or GPON uplink, with VDSL2 in the site. Service providers can use the existing copper wiring to provide additional bandwidth cost effectively by deploying G-PowerRAM and the MiniCAB. This is used with ECI’s best-of-breed Hi-FOCuS Multi-Service Access Node Optical Line Terminator (OLT). They are expected to be available in the market by mid 2008.

Eyal Shaked, executive vice president and general manager of ECI Telecom’s Network Solutions Division (NSD) said: “In expanding our fiber access solutions, ECI has created the most comprehensive product portfolio for FTTB networks in the market today.

“Optimal and cost effective deployment of fiber solutions is a key requirement of our customers and one which has guided us throughout the development process,” said Shake. “This is made possible by delivering a solution which has the widest range of form factors, is fully compatible and is strengthened by a unified management system.”

The ONUs enables optimal fiber access deployment at low ownership costs. As customers demand increases service providers can grow fibers besides offering DSL where required. The Hi-FOCuS MSAN is suited for both FTTB and FTTH networks. Besides all the access units can be managed under ECI’s OPS centralized element management system (EMS).

Shamila Janakiraman is a TMCnet Contributing Editor.
Source: tmcnet.com

Ikanos' VDSL2 And FTTH Gateway Processors Awarded 2007 Product Of The Year

2008-02-28T05:16:00.000-08:00

Fremont, CA - Ikanos Communications, Inc., a leading developer and provider of Fiber Fast broadband solutions, announced recently that its Fusiv Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors have been awarded "2007 Product of the Year -- Best LAN Product" by EN-Genius Network.

The Vx180 single chip multimode VDSL2 gateway processor and Vx170 FTTH gateway processor are designed to provide the features, performance, security and scalability required to deliver advanced triple play services over broadband pipes. Both solutions offer 2.7 GHz of processing power, integrated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and security features while supporting best-in-class Quality of Service (QoS) with wire-speed performance. Moreover, the Fusiv Vx180 also integrates Ikanos' industry-leading multimode VDSL2 technology to offer unsurpassed performance and physical layer integration for a triple play residential gateway.

"The Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors help customer premises equipment (CPE) manufacturers address the double-edged challenge of providing multi-service capable products that help boost revenue, while keeping equipment costs under control," said Lee H. Goldberg, senior technical editor, EN-Genius Network.

The Vx180 and Vx170 residential gateway processors enable superior support of advanced triple play services through their unique and innovative distributed Accelerated Processor (AP) architecture. Differing from traditional multi-core and multi-thread approaches, Ikanos' powerful AP architecture offers a tremendous amount of processing performance in a small silicon area, while operating at very low power. These Accelerator Processors come equipped with local program and data memory to avoid resource conflicts and carry the entire bridging and routing effort, leaving 500 MHz of processing power available to support other advanced triple play services.

"We are very pleased that the editors at EN-Genius have awarded our high performance Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors with their prestigious Product of the Year award," said Piyush Sevalia, Ikanos' vice president of marketing. "EN-Genius' endorsement validates Ikanos' leadership in providing innovative, high performance, integrated residential gateway platforms that enable service providers to launch triple play services more quickly and cost-effectively."

Instituted in 2003, EN-Genius Network's Product of the Year award recognizes data acquisition, audio/video technology, green tech, green-power engineering DSP, wireless connectivity, networking, passives, and low and high power products that best demonstrate strong technical merit, innovative design and exceptional marketability.

SOURCE: Ikanos Communications, Inc.

Verizon details plans to bring fiber to larger MDUs

2008-02-28T05:15:00.000-08:00

Verizon Communications is planning a major push of its fiber-to-the-home service into multidwelling units (MDUs) this year. Despite passing 2.1 million MDUs at the end of last year’s third quarter, Verizon’s FTTH network was only capable of serving 400,000 of them. The company’s technology director, Vincent O’Byrne, spoke with Telephony’s Ed Gubbins at the OFC show in San Diego this week about Verizon’s plans for MDUs this year.

On the delay in penetrating MDUs: One of the main items was obviously cost. It can be more expensive to serve MDUs. Also the availability of common ONTs [optical network terminals], which were introduced last year. And of course there’s the access to coax. Partly associated with that is the ability to offer similar kinds of services we have for single family units (SFUs), where we have broadcast TV. One of the breakthroughs that will help us a lot is GPON, which will allow us to, as we migrate to IPTV, support that in the MDU. In addition to that, in 2008 there’s been a large push to, in cases where we’re deploying SFU ONTs in MDUs, to reduce the overall cost by introducing bendable fiber, which will allow the deployment to occur quicker and save time in installation. There are also other items we’re utilizing from the [outside plant] such as VATs—Verizon Advanced Terminals--where you pre-engineer the facility for fiber deployment. So it becomes a lot easier and quicker to get the fiber to the living unit, to the SFU device in there.

On why MDUs are more expensive to reach: A large part of the cost is pulling the fiber. If you have to pull anything up the risers, it can be expensive. That’s where the whole idea of the common ONT was designed, to allow us some economies of scale. That hasn’t taken off as much as we’d hoped, to date. Just from a planning perspective, it typically comes later than an SFU; you want to get the SFU out there as quickly as possible. That allows us to use the wiring in the MDU that’s already there.

On disappointment in the common ONT: It’s just getting it out there into the field. We have a lot of items in the pipeline, so getting it support with IT, there’s special code for provisioning. Where it stacks up, it typically will become available 3 to 6 months after the SFU. The majority of our deployments to MDUs have used SFU devices. This common ONT--which we started on BPON and we will be having on GPON this year, probably mid-year--will add to the different types of ONTs. We can better match which ONT is best for a given MDU. The economics change depending on how you define the MDU: 2-, 4-, 6- or 12-family. Common ONTs are built on a module of 12 living units per box.

On Clearcurve flexible fiber: There is an expected date [for deployment]. I don’t think we’ve made it public. It’s going to be probably in the first half of the year. There are several advantages. One is being able to deploy it quicker. That will become a lot easier to determine once we deploy it en masse. Each MDU has to be engineered separately. It’s only after you have a lot of stats that you can figure out how much it costs. Even if our techs have to go back and do something else on the plant, the fact that they’re touching it will cause less issues. That’s why we’re also looking at it for the OSP in splitter hubs and things like that. Fat fingers have a tendency to cause issues. Just touching the splitter and the fiber, it becomes very sensitive to people touching the fiber. So this will allow us to reduce the size of a lot of equipment.

On the link between the basement and the apartment unit: For BPON, it’s all VDSL1; for GPON, it’s all VDSL2. We’d set the locations of the MDUs so that the furthest person [from the common ONT], or at least the modems, is around 500 feet [away]. [Speeds are] around 35 Mb/s downstream, 10 Mb/s upstream on VDSL1 and BPON. On GPON it’s expected to be like 75 Mb/s downstream. We also use broadcast [RF video] and IP VOD. It all goes on the copper wires. At the apartment, you’d have a VDSL modem. The output of that modem would be Ethernet into the broadband home router. With GPON, that modem is integrated into the router.

On SFU ONT innovation: We have an ONT called the “Just Inside” ONT because it’s installed just inside the house. It’s about 10” by 19”. We’re looking for something smaller and more user-friendly. Our design target is 8” by 8”. At present, the Just Inside is a good concept, but it’s not fully integrated. Its size is the sum of its parts. If it’s more efficient, the batteries can get smaller. We’re also looking for different battery chemistries so we’re not just stuck with lead acid batteries. Maybe lithium ion or even alkaline in case of emergencies.

Source: telephonyonline.com

Universal Powerline Association Ships 4.5 Million Chips

2008-02-28T05:13:00.000-08:00

Universal Powerline Association Ships 4.5 Million Chips while Championing Interoperability, Universal Functionality and Standardization of all Powerline Communications

February 26, 2008 - London - Universal Powerline Association (UPA) technology has shipped in excess of 4.5 Million 200 Mbps Powerline communications chips, giving the UPA the largest industry market share for high speed Powerline silicon. Increased worldwide demand for UPA technology including North America, Europe, and Asia has fuelled the growth of the adoption of UPA technology for applications such as:

High Speed Home Networking, including HD IPTV
In-Building Communications, including MDUs
Broadband over Powerline Access Solutions, including AMI and Broadband applications
Embedded Solutions

Brian Donnelly, UPA Chairman confirmed that: "Over 4 million products based on the UPA's 200Mbps In-Home and to-the-home Powerline connectivity solutions have been sold worldwide by Tier 1, service providers, integrators, electricity utilities, and retailers to date. As the number of Powerline communications products continues to increase worldwide, the UPA will be focusing on enabling consumers to obtain advanced, standards-based, and future-proof technology including our upcoming 400Mbps technology for In-Home, In-Building, and Access markets that is 100% backwards compatible with today's 200Mbps UPA technology."

The UPA plans to continue to strengthen its worldwide focus and implementation of advanced functionality and interoperable standards for Powerline communication and networking solutions. The UPA endorses the IEEE P1901 standard process and has joined the ITU-T to contribute and support work on the development of a standard for next generation home networking receivers through the ITU-T Recommendation (G.hn). The ITU-T global project will define PHY and MAC specifications for ICs operating over any wire including Powerline and addresses the EMC and spectral compatibility of home networking transmission with VDSL2 and other types of DSL used to access the home so that even a novice consumer can install a home network. As part of the collaboration, UPA's Digital Home System White Paper has been accepted at the February 2008 ITU-T Geneva meeting as part of the developing work at ITU-T's Home Networking group.

UPA-based products make up the largest share of the market for 200 Mbps Powerline products for networking and service provider applications. 2008 and beyond shall allow the UPA and its members not only an ability to provide consumers a standardized technology, but will support all the functionalities and enhancements required for BPL deployments and in-building installations such as frequency division repeating (FDD), flexibility to work over any topology, carrier spacing and frequency for coexistence with xDSL technologies and native TR-069 support for remote network management.

2008 brings new international multi-market leadership, standards conformity, enhancement, and overall advancement programs within the UPA. The UPA will unveil its 2008 Work Program at its Annual General Meeting and UPA Technology Conference on 4th March at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Fukuoka, Japan. Non-UPA members are invited to join UPA members for a presentation of the UPA’s upcoming 400Mbps technology.

Source: targetwire.com

3M develops module to test xDSL services

2008-02-28T05:10:00.000-08:00

Network testing and fiber-optics company 3M Telecommunications has introduced a triple-play modem module for testing xDSL services.

It said the compact 3M Dynatel All-in-One Modem Module VDSL2 attaches to the back of the 3M Dynatel Advanced Modular System 965AMS. It said it is field-swappable, and can be shared between individual base units, enabling technicians to measure and display connection statistics, link to the server, ping through the server to an IP destination, and browse the internet.

It can be attached to an xDSL circuit pair for connection to the DSLAM and supports DSL service types, including VDSL2, ADSL2+, ADSL2, and ADSL.

David Senum of communication markets division at 3M said: "A single modular 3M test set handles copper, DS,L and IP testing to validate triple-play services at xDSL access ports and subscriber networks. With this new module, an operator can browse the internet on the 965AMS test set screen to confirm a working internet connection."

3M said the new module works in concert with the 965AMS software inference engine for system analysis of test results and helpful guidance to field technicians performing fault identification and location of different types of faults.
Source: cbronline.com

Dynamic Spectrum Management Makes DSL Operations Green

2008-02-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

The reduction of power consumption by telecommunications equipment has become a global imperative. For DSL operators, a strong desire for ecologically sound operations combined with rising energy costs at central offices and neighborhood distribution points have resulted in a requirement for increased power efficiency while preserving the continuing DSL evolution towards higher data rates. In response, products from industry leaders implementing the recommendations of the recently completed pan-industry report on Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) by the ATIS standards body are making it possible for DSL operators to achieve their goals for improved efficiency and performance.

The ATIS DSM Technical Report (ATIS PP-0600007) defines three levels of DSM for managing noise, power and crosstalk in DSL systems of all types -- ADSL1, ADSL2/2+ and VDSL -- in both single service provider and unbundled, multiple service provider environments. In all cases, DSM techniques seek to minimize transmitted and consumed power subject to a target grade of service. DSM Level 1 manages average power settings on a DSL line. DSM Level 2 adds a "politeness" capability allowing each DSL modem's power to be set on a frequency-agile basis to avoid noises and reduce the generation of frequency-dependent crosstalk to other DSL lines. Finally, DSM Level 3 adds the ability to actively cancel crosstalk between lines. When used with the upcoming ITU-R G.vector standard, DSM Level 3 offers realizable DSL data rates in excess of 100 Mbps.

DSM is being widely embraced within the DSL industry. In recent months British Telecom, France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia, AT&T and other carriers have openly discussed the benefits of DSM in their existing ADSL1 and ADSL2/2+ networks. In addition, the DSM products of leading solutions providers such as ASSIA are already being used to manage many millions of DSL lines. The only requirement for exploiting DSM is infrastructure that supports the standardized G.997.1 DSL management interface.

While most equipment manufacturers support DSM, some are instead choosing to maintain closed management interfaces on their DSL products and to employ proprietary techniques to stabilize DSL lines. "Virtual noise" is one such scheme that has received recent attention. The virtual noise scheme deliberately overestimates noise on DSL lines, tricking DSL modems into either reducing their data rates or increasing their transmitted power, perhaps by as much as three times, or both. In some cases, virtual noise can stabilize the performance of an individual line, but always by less than a comparable application of DSM. On a network-wide basis, the effects of virtual noise are significantly increased power consumption and harmful crosstalk among DSL lines. Power is wasted and crosstalk is increased for all DSL subscribers served by the copper plant. In an unbundled environment, excess interference created by one service provider impacts the customers of other service providers sharing the copper plant. In contrast, products such as ASSIA's DSL Expresse(R) that implement DSM seek to stabilize lines using the minimum necessary power, reducing DSL crosstalk to the subscribers of all service providers sharing the copper plant.

"The growing worldwide use of DSM techniques benefits DSL operators, customers and the environment, alike, through improved power efficiency, higher data rates and extended reach," said John Cioffi, ASSIA's Chairman. "While there are still some holdouts promoting unstandardized and technically unproven proprietary approaches, the industry's well-founded embrace of the open-systems-based DSM indicates that DSM will soon be a requirement in all major DSL deployments."

Source: sunherald.com

New Report Provides Forecasts for Broadband Penetration in France to 2017

2008-02-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c84058) has announced the addition of France - Broadband Market - Overview, Statistics & Forecasts to their offering.

France has the third largest broadband subscriber base in Europe. Growth in 2007 was bolstered by demand for high bandwidth applications, considerable investment in fibre infrastructure, and a pro-competitive regulator which has provided easy access to the incumbent’s network for new entrants through Local Loop Unbundling. DSL dominates broadband access, partly as a result of the relatively poor cable footprint, while fibre deployment has become a substantial proposition, particularly in the Paris region. This report assesses France’s fixed broadband markets in 2008, focussing on cable and DSL as well as developments with related technologies such as ADSL2+, VDSL2. It provides the latest statistics and analysis in this important market, and reviews the strategies of the principal providers such as France Telecom, UPC France, Telecom Italia, Iliad and neuf Cegetel. The report also considers the regulatory implications for local loop unbundling and provides forecasts for broadband penetration to 2017.

Areas Covered:

-Local Loop Unbundling

-Wholesale access

-Pricing

-Government support

-Regional support

-‘Broadband for Everyone’

-Leased line market

-Broadband statistics

-Internet market

-Overview

-Cable modems

-Cable consolidation

-Numéricable

-France Telecom Cable

-UPC France

-Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

-ADSL2+

-France Telecom

-Free (Iliad)

-Telecom Italia

-Neuf Cegetel

-Other DSL developments (xDSL)

-READSL2

-Very High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL)

-Symmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (SDSL)

-Broadband Powerline (BPL)

-Broadband forecasts to 2017

-Notes on scenario forecasts

Source: businesswire.com

Boosting upstream data rates

2008-02-26T05:57:00.000-08:00

Changing internet usage modes, including uploading and downloading of video content, mean there is more pressure on service providers to support higher upstream data rates.
In a move to help service providers offer these features, whilst reducing capital expenditure, Ikanos has launched the FXS60IF1, which it says is the first single chip integrated front end (IFE) that enables cost effective, low power, multimode VDSL2/ADSL2+ triple play residential gateways.
Peter Ahimovic, senior director of strategic marketing, noted: “Service providers are adding services such as VoIP and IPTV, but these need bandwidth and therefore VDSL2. The FXS601F1 services their xDSL requirements.”
The single chip device integrates a/d and d/a converters, along with the filters and line drivers needed for xDSL operation. Ahimovic added: “VDSL2 is still in working text, but we don’t see any reason why this chip will not meet the requirements.”
When used alongside a residential gateway processor such as Ikanos’ FusivVx180, the device supports VDSL2, ADSL2+, ADSL2 and ADSL, as well as offering high levels of impulse noise protection, Rapid Rate Adaptation, on chip QoS and wire speed network processor performance.

Source: newelectronics.co.uk

New partnerships, GSM gateways and DSL testers

2008-02-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

(openPR) - Ebermannstadt, Germany. February 21, 2008. Vierling’s Mobile Communication division will present its new, cost-effective Ecotel “lite” GSM gateways as well as its partnerships with PBX manufacturers at CeBIT this year. The Measurement Solutions division will focus on the VIT-A2 DSL tester for ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ as well as the VIT-V2 for VDSL2. Vierling’s research & development unit will present its portion of the Equikom research project which is working to optimize the supply of energy into the power grid. Vierling has developed a new approach for the CeBIT 2008 show: The company is working with its established distribution and technology partners to present Vierling solutions at their own booths instead of having a separate booth of its own.

Cooperation with PBX manufacturers and new GSM gateways

During recent months, the Mobile Communication division has focused on performing diverse compatibility tests and forging new technology partnerships with leading PBX manufacturers. “We have successfully completed a highly intensive test phase in cooperation with Siemens, Aastra DeTeWe, NEC Infrontia, Auerswald, Agfeo, Funkwerk and a number of other manufacturers”, noted Wolfgang Peter, managing director of Vierling. “This is our way of ensuring that our gateways work smoothly with all of the common PBX systems.” In addition, the first “lite” version of an Ecotel GSM gateway has been shipping for a few months now. It is known as Ecotel ISDN2-120 lite. Vierling is very satisfied with the feedback it has received from specialized dealers with regard to this Ecotel GSM gateway with a reduced set of functions.

DSL testers and energy-related R&D project
Vierling is also optimistic about current opportunities in the area of DSL testers. “As always, the VIT-A2 tester for ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+ remains a top seller. More than 10,000 units of the different models of this device are already in use in Germany”, said Wolfgang Peter. “Now we also have a tester for VDSL2 in the form of the VIT-V2, which should further bolster our position in the area of easy-to-use testers designed for mass deployment.” Vierling is very proud of its innovative work in communications technologies. For example, the Equikom research project is focused on improving the supply of energy into the power grid. Here, Vierling is working under the banner of the “E-Energy” technology project organized by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institut fuer integrierte Schaltungen (IIS), Siemens Industry, the technology company iAd from Grosshabersdorf, Germany and other partners.

Many small appearances instead of a single booth
For CeBIT 2008, Vierling decided to rely on its established partners as opposed to running its own booth. Specialized dealers can obtain information about Vierling products at booths organized by the following Vierling distributors: Allnet (hall 13, C57), Herweck (hall 12, C30) and Komsa (pavilion P34). These distributors will be presenting Ecotel GSM gateways as well as the VIT-A2 DSL tester. An Ecotel GSM gateway will also be presented by Vierling technology partner D-Link (hall 13, booth D71). Vierling’s R&D activities in the area of energy efficiency will be on display at the E-Energy booth (hall 9, booth C75). “As always, we consider CeBIT to be an outstanding platform for meeting with business partners and entering into joint efforts”, added Wolfgang Peter. “We will have many of our employees from product management, sales and marketing onsite in order to meet with new and existing sales and technology partners.”

Source: openpr.com

VDSL2 chipsets drive

2008-02-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Chipsets are designed to deliver the highest throughput and density with the lowest power consumption per port

Softbank BB Corp has named Ikanos as the exclusive provider of multimode VDSL2 central office (CO) and customer premises equipment (CPE) chipsets to power its new, fibre to the remote (FTTR) deployment in Japan. Softbank BB Corp selected Ikanos' Fx10050-5 CO and Fx10050S-5 CPE chipsets, which are designed to deliver the highest throughput and density with the lowest power consumption per port.

The chipsets will be used in CO and CPE platforms and will offer significantly higher bandwidth than currently deployed ADSLx technologies, thus facilitating future deployment of revenue-enhancing services such as triple play.

The new platforms are also backward compatible with deployed VDSL chipsets, thus facilitating a smoother infrastructure upgrade.

'Ikanos' VDSL2 chipsets are technically superior to other solutions on the market today', says Takenori Kobayashi, Director of the Access Technology Department at Softbank BB Corp.

'We needed a feature-rich, end-to-end solution to support our aggressive fibre to the remote (FTTR) roll-out schedule'.

'Having previously worked with Ikanos on our fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) deployments, we recognised that Ikanos' chipsets deliver the industry's best performance, density and power and can support the evolving high-value broadband services we provide our customers'.

'Japan is a very dynamic broadband market, with incredible demand from consumers for advanced communications and entertainment services', says Jeff Heynen, Directing Analyst, Broadband and IPTV at Infonetics Research.

'Ikanos is well positioned to continue increasing its technology and market leadership in Japan by delivering the industry's most powerful solution for supporting new service offerings now and into the future'.

'We are delighted that Softbank BB Corp'.

'has selected Ikanos for their next broadband access network deployments', says Michael A Ricci, president and CEO of Ikanos.

'Ikanos is an established leader in the VDSL2 market'.

'Our fifth-generation VDSL2 CO and CPE chipsets strengthen this lead by delivering highly differentiated features to support cutting-edge services, such as IPTV and triple play'.
Source: electronicstalk.com

3M Develops New Module to Test xDSL Services

2008-02-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

A new full-featured, triple-play modem module from 3M allows the 3M Dynatel Advanced Modular System 965AMS to test the latest xDSL services. The compact 3M Dynatel All-in-One Modem Module VDSL2 attaches to the back of the 965AMS, is field-swappable, and can be shared between individual base units.
This modem module can be attached directly to an xDSL circuit pair for connection to the DSLAM. It supports many DSL service types, including VDSL2, ADSL2+, ADSL2, and ADSL. With it, technicians can measure and display connection statistics, link to the server, ping through the server to an IP destination or browse the Internet.
The new 3M ITU-compliant VDSL2 Modem Module is compatible with all primary DSL service and WAN internet protocol variants. According to David L. Senum, 3M Communication Markets Division, users can conduct xDSL testing for an entire network using this device alone.
“A single modular 3M test set handles copper, DSL and IP testing to validate triple-play services at xDSL access ports and subscriber networks,” Senum explains. “With this new module, an operator can browse the Internet on the 965AMS test set screen to confirm a working Internet connection.” The new module works in concert with the 965AMS software inference engine for expert system analysis of test results and helpful guidance to field technicians performing fault identification and location of many different types of faults.
Systems managers who face training challenges related to changing workforce demographics will appreciate the knowledge-based, expert-pair test capabilities of the Dynatel Advanced Modular System 965AMS system. Tests are easy to use, require minimal operator training and provide automatic testing of active and inactive pairs with pass/fail limits.
For more information about the 3M Dynatel All-in-One Modem Module VDSL2 and the Dynatel Advanced Modular System 965AMS, contact the 3M Communication Markets Division, A130-2N-14, 6801 River Place Blvd., Austin, Texas 78726-9000, USA, or call 800-426-8688. For more information about 3M communication products, go to www.3M.com/telecom.
3M Telecommunications
3M provides practical, scalable solutions to telecommunications service providers around the world. From military and government applications to aerial, underground and buried plant, to central office, utilities and more, it’s the widest and most comprehensive suite of products, and it's all from 3M---a major force in the telecommunications industry for more than 100 years. Our proven systems optimize network testing, construction, locating and maintenance for faster, more reliable high-bandwidth transmissions. 3M provides physical media-layer capabilities for FTTP and DSL deployments from central office to customer premises. Worldwide customers rely on 3M fiber optics technologies to leverage existing infrastructure or install completely new networks.
Souce: earthtimes.org

CHT to spend NT$3.3 billion on VDSL2 and EPON equipment in 2008

2008-02-20T23:51:00.000-08:00

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) plans to invest NT$3.3 billion (US$104 million) to expand its optical communications networks during 2008, with an aim to increase the number of subscribers by 400,000 this year, according sources at CHT.
Under the expansion project, CHT plans to purchase 683,000 units of VDSL2 equipment and 55,000 units of EPON (Ethernet passive optical network) equipment, the sources stated.
About 60% of the needed VDSL2 equipment is expected to be purchased from Taiwan makers, and CHT plans to hold an open bid in the second quarter of the year to finalize contracts, the sources noted.
A number of Taiwan network-equipment makers, including D-Link, Zyxel Communications, Asustek Computer and Tecom, are expected to participate in the bidding, according to market sources.
On the other hand, CHT is expected to purchase EPON equipment from suppliers in Japan, said CHT sources.
Source: digitimes.com

FTTH/FTTB Business Models Mainly Pushed by Alternative Carriers

2008-02-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 02/20/2008 - According to InfoCom’s latest report FTTX — EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES — Filling the pipe of the NGN, it results that in worldwide, fibre deployments are mainly pushed by alternative players.

Altnets push own FTTH connections as with such a strategy they generate higher margins, saving ULL costs to pay to the incumbent. In some countries, fibre deployment from the side of the incumbent put further pressure on altents to push their own connection. In Germany, for instance, more and more city carriers have launched fibre projects in late 2007 to react on Deutsche Telekom’s FTTC/VDSL deployment. Still, the majority of German alternatives, plan rather to invest in VDSL2.

The report presents various business models: “Open platform” business model, “Partnership” model, and “Proprietary” offers, where the chosen business model depends on the background of the infrastructure owner, local regulation and competition context. And different “levels” of players needed to provide telecom or media services to the end-user: Passive Infrastructure Owner (PIO), Active Infrastructure Owner (AIO) and Service & Content Providers.

The analysis of the different business models shows that incumbents’ main drivers to invest into fibre are actually a handful. First of all, pressure by competitors: in France and in the US, alternative carriers, fixed and CaTV, offer high-speed connections and TV/video content. Second, government programmes and subsidies, for instance in Japan and South Korea. A third driver is OPEX implications: cost cuts by reducing number of local exchange sites, related workforce and maintenance expenditures. As of economic drivers, many incumbents prefer investments into FTTC/VDSL2 instead of FTTH/B: incumbents, especially European ones, face relevant investments into NGN (next generation network) infrastructure and have a tight limit for further investments like FTTx. In new build areas for instance, FTTH/FTTB might be deployed, although the incumbent follows a FTTC strategy otherwise, as in the case of KPN, Telecom Italia and Telia.

The study provides also a detailed analysis of bandwidth needs for the different services to be delivered through the “pipe”, with factors influencing the service/bundle offer and services launched by advanced European and Asian players. A separate section illustrates in details online gaming applications. Market scenarios are provided by country through market dashboards in excel format. A closing technological section provides an assessment of FTTH/FTTB versus FTTC.

FTTX — EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES — Filling the pipe of the NGN is one of the latest InfoCom’s reports. With more than 100 pages of text and data market models, e, condensed pages, the study illustrates the different business models of players around the world, innovative providers and applications, service bundle offers, bandwidth needs of future applications and market drivers and obstacles, with potential assessment and forecasts.
FTTX — EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES — Filling the pipe of the NGN is only one of several reports that InfoCom provides. To know more, please contact us.

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Source: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/30165/

Sunrise Telecom(R) Launches Highly Integrated MTT(R) Products

2008-02-19T00:58:00.000-08:00

Sunrise Telecom(R) Launches Highly Integrated MTT(R) Products for Access Infrastructure, In-Home Wiring and Triple Play Services Testing
First test system to deliver xDSL and triple play services testing in a
single, intuitive handheld unit.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sunrise Telecom(R)
Incorporated (OTC: SRTI), a leader in test and measurement solutions for
today's telecom, wireless and cable networks, announced its MTT(R) Triple
Play Series test package -- the industry's first comprehensive access
infrastructure, in-home wiring and triple play services test set. This
ground-breaking test system meets the urgent need for both access
infrastructure and services testing in a single, handheld test set,
enabling technicians to drive new standards in the customer quality of
experience (QoE) by ensuring that the physical infrastructure and video,
voice and data services are turned up right the first time.
"This triple play services test set is another proof-point that clearly
demonstrates Sunrise Telecom's commitment to bringing new technologies and
leading-edge test systems to market," said Olga Yashkova, industry analyst,
Communication Test & Measurement, Frost & Sullivan.
While the telecommunication industry is still in the early stages of
triple play bundles, the benefits can be significant for subscribers:
substantial savings for choosing a single provider and a single bill. In
response to the anticipated demand, the integrated triple play test
equipment market is poised for tremendous growth. This market, which
registered revenues of $91.7 million in 2006, is expected to hit revenues
of $697.9 million by 2013 with the CAGR of 33.6 percent from 2006 to 2013,
according to Frost & Sullivan.
Sunrise Telecom's new MTT Triple Play Series is ideal for installation
and maintenance technicians testing the performance and QoE of an xDSL
infrastructure. With this new test suite, technicians can test the physical
plant, in-home wiring and IP-based services (IPTV, video on demand (VOD),
VoIP, and data) with a single test set to ensure the high level of QoE
customers demand.
"In today's highly competitive market, QoE determines the success of
new services and significantly impacts bottom-line performance. Sunrise
Telecom's innovative approach helps service providers enhance QoE, increase
customer retention, and reduce operating expenses that would be driven
higher by the need for multiple, single-purpose test sets and numerous
truck rolls," said Bahaa Moukadam, vice president of marketing for Sunrise
Telecom's Telecom Products Group. "Our customers tell us that the MTT
Triple Play Series test set delivers a superior value and is unmatched in
portability, functionality and ease of use."
The breakthrough MTT Triple Play Series features:
* Copper, Fiber and xDSL testing: Full suite of outside plant copper
assessment tests covering the voice to VDSL2 frequency range; Fiber
OTDR and power meter; and xDSL CPE Emulation allowing the technician
to verify achievable data rate, SNR Margin, and error counter metrics
against Pass/Fail thresholds
* In-home wiring: Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HPNA) Device
Emulation critical for assessing the in-home wiring capability to
support IPTV signals by running HPNA diagnostic tests
* Services testing including IPTV Set Top Box emulation with MPEG video
stream analysis, Voice and Data over IP test suite. Unlike alternatives, which test only Layer 1 or individual services,
the MTT Triple Play Series integrates comprehensive functionality into a
single, easy-to-use test set, increasing technicians' effectiveness and
shortening the time required to turn up services and complete customers'
service requests. By eliminating the need for multiple test tools for
infrastructure and services testing, Sunrise Telecom's MTT Triple Play
Series reduces the number of truck rolls required for proper installation
and maintenance and helps service providers realize a higher, faster return
on their triple play investments.
The Triple Play Series is part of the MTT modular handheld platform.
With over 43,000 units deployed, the MTT solution provides field
technicians the industry's broadest range of testing capabilities for
installation, troubleshooting and maintenance. Additionally, the unit's
modular design supports Gigabit Ethernet, 1, 2 and 4 Gbps Fibre Channel,
and Transport Infrastructure testing.
The MTT(R) Triple Play Series test package is immediately available
from Sunrise Telecom. For sales information contact the company at
info@sunrisetelecom.com

Stretching copper

2008-02-06T23:10:00.001-08:00

When AT&T moved the goalposts back again on its expected deployment of bonded VDSL2, the industry seemed to collectively shake its head in frustration. Yet another delay in the carrier’s fiber-to-the-node initiative. And yet another return to the inconvenient truths about the bandwidth limitations of copper.

“AT&T will need to do something dramatic in order to find the bandwidth to deliver multi-stream high-definition [TV], especially since the cable and satellite competition have expanded their HD channel line-ups and/or VoD libraries substantially,” said Erik Keith, an analyst at Current Analysis. “MPEG-4 will help, but FTTN DSLAMs will not be the best strategy long-term. FTTP is really the best way to go.”

However, a few developments this week are aimed at not giving up on copper so quickly.
Source: telephonyonline.com

Rim Semiconductor is testing a new specification known as Internet Protocol Subscriber Line, or IPSL, that it expects will dramatically improve broadband performance over existing copper. Rim claims its Cupria processor can send traffic down a 26-gauge copper pair at 40 megabits per second over 5,500 feet. The company tested its wares a few months ago on the network of Monroe Telephone, a small telco in Monroe, Oregon not far from Rim’s headquarters in Portland.

John Dillard, Monroe’s president, told me Rim’s creation was “still in the breadbox stage,” but added that the Rim folks seemed to be very pleased with the results of their tests, promising more tests to follow.

Meanwhile, Alcatel-Lucent said this week that it expects to introduce equipment late next year that uses Dynamic Spectrum Management, or DSM, to aid VDSL2 performance by reducing noise in the network. But even that is described by Alcatel as a way to get a few more years of life out of existing copper before the inevitable transition to fiber.

These are only the latest such efforts to stretch copper’s limits. Last year, researchers at Penn State, working with cable vendor Nexans, designed a transmitter and receiver to send data at 100 Gb/s over Cat 7 copper.

Considering the expense of deploying FTTP and the amount of copper wire strewn across the country, it’s no surprise to see vendors focus on squeezing ever more bandwidth out of copper. As I’ve pointed out before, no matter what analysts say about the clear superiority of FTTP, the favorite triple-play access architecture of U.S. carriers continues to be FTTN–and copper the rest of the way.

Ikanos VDSL2 and FTTH Gateway Processors Awarded 2007 Product of the Year

2008-02-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

EN-Genius Selects Fusiv(R) Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH Gateway Processors as Best LAN Products

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ikanos Communications, Inc. , a leading developer and provider of Fiber Fast(TM) broadband solutions, announced today that its Fusiv(R) Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors have been awarded "2007 Product of the Year -- Best LAN Product" by EN-Genius Network.
The Vx180 single chip multimode VDSL2 gateway processor and Vx170 FTTH gateway processor are designed to provide the features, performance, security and scalability required to deliver advanced triple play services over broadband pipes. Both solutions offer 2.7 GHz of processing power, integrated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and security features while supporting best-in-class Quality of Service (QoS) with wire-speed performance. Moreover, the Fusiv Vx180 also integrates Ikanos' industry-leading multimode VDSL2 technology to offer unsurpassed performance and physical layer integration for a triple play residential gateway.
"The Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors help customer premises equipment (CPE) manufacturers address the double-edged challenge of providing multi-service capable products that help boost revenue, while keeping equipment costs under control," said Lee H. Goldberg, senior technical editor, EN-Genius Network.
The Vx180 and Vx170 residential gateway processors enable superior support of advanced triple play services through their unique and innovative distributed Accelerated Processor (AP) architecture. Differing from traditional multi-core and multi-thread approaches, Ikanos' powerful AP architecture offers a tremendous amount of processing performance in a small silicon area, while operating at very low power. These Accelerator Processors come equipped with local program and data memory to avoid resource conflicts and carry the entire bridging and routing effort, leaving 500 MHz of processing power available to support other advanced triple play services.
"We are very pleased that the editors at EN-Genius have awarded our high performance Vx180 VDSL2 and Vx170 FTTH gateway processors with their prestigious Product of the Year award," said Piyush Sevalia, Ikanos' vice president of marketing. "EN-Genius' endorsement validates Ikanos' leadership in providing innovative, high performance, integrated residential gateway platforms that enable service providers to launch triple play services more quickly and cost-effectively."
Instituted in 2003, EN-Genius Network's Product of the Year award recognizes data acquisition, audio/video technology, green tech, green-power engineering DSP, wireless connectivity, networking, passives, and low and high power products that best demonstrate strong technical merit, innovative design and exceptional marketability.
Source: cnnmoney.com

A closer look at 40 Mb/s DSL

2008-02-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

What’s behind Rim Semiconductor’s recent claims of superfast DSL?

Rim Semiconductor turned some heads in January with a claim that its new chip can send traffic at 40 Mb/s over 5,500 feet of 26-gauge copper wire. The chip, which the company said will be commercially available later this year, promises big jumps in bandwidth for carriers such as AT&T that are trying to cram as much traffic as they can down existing copper lines.

But Rim’s approach is such a departure from currently dominant access technologies that it will have to work hard to establish new industry standards in order to get widespread deployment by major telcos.

Part of Rim’s technology involves changing how upstream and downstream bandwidth is allocated. The company is proposing an alternative to discrete multi-tone (DMT) line-coding, the encoding standard commonly employed in DSL networks including VDSL. Rather than reserve fixed allocations of upstream and downstream bandwidth, as DMT does, Rim’s chip uses time-division duplexing (instead of the frequency-division duplexing used in VDSL2) so that, when needed, downstream traffic can use bandwidth that would otherwise be reserved for upstream traffic, and vice versa. And it uses “rapid bi-directional switching” to transition in milliseconds from upstream and downstream transport.

“DMT’s fixed ratio of downstream and upstream [bandwidth] was absolutely appropriate at the time [it was created], but video has changed it all,” said Brad Ketch, Rim Semiconductor’s chief executive officer. “We feel and have felt that ultimately DMT would come to a point of diminishing returns.”

Redoing DMT is just part of Rim’s approach, said Ketch, a veteran of access vendor Advanced Fibre Communications (now Tellabs). Ketch is careful not to divulge too much about the company (which, despite not having a commercial product, has issued more than 30 press releases in the past two years). According to the firm’s Web site, Rim’s technology “defines” not just the encoding algorithms inside transport processors but also “the signal stream waveform.” Rim attacked rate and reach limitations in several ways, the company says, increasing payloads and decreasing noise and latency. Along the way, it made a few acquisitions to aid the effort, including that of 1020 Technologies and Broadband Distance Systems (a subsidiary of Utek).

The company has also hired Telcordia to, as Ketch put it, “study the impact of this technology in a binder group…to work over our shoulder make sure it makes sense to tier-one telcos.”

Ketch acknowledges that, in order to be useful, Rim’s technology would need to be deployed both in access networks and in customer premises gear, underscoring the need for standardizing the nascent technology.

“As far as the market goes, they’re sailing into the wind,” said Kermit Ross, a consultant with Millenium Marketing. “Given that the phone companies have a mix of [DSL] platforms in their networks as it is and a mix of different suppliers of DSL modems, there’s an awful lot of current flowing against making a thing like this work.”

To develop an industry standard for its technology, dubbed Internet Protocol Subscriber Line (IPSL), Rim has convened a group called the IPSL Special Interest Group, or IPSLSIG. Embarq is one of the few publicly named members of the group, which plans to meet a few times a year (its next meeting, slated for Europe, is being scheduled now, Ketch said).

“We invented IPSL, but we’re committed to making it available to other vendors because we’d like to see the ITU-T bring it in and standardize it,” Ketch said.

“Getting IPSL standardized will be one of the biggest hurdles for Rim Semi as it looks to bring its technology to market,” said Erik Keith, an analyst with Current Analysis.

Rim’s technology also requires IP DSLAMs rather than the legacy model based on ATM, though the majority of DSLAMs deployed today are IP-based..

Rim is currently testing a field-programmable version of its chip in the networks of small telcos such as Oregon’s Monroe Telephone. But with the help of partner eSilicon, Rim expects to introduce a less expensive ASIC version commercially this year.

Ketch imagines Rim’s gear making it possible for carriers to add more high-bandwidth service such as IPTV over existing copper, but he’s less certain about the technology’s potential to bring DSL to areas currently beyond reach. “That’s one application for the technology, but I think there are some question marks about the economics of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, vendors across the industry are working on separate efforts to increase the performance of DSL and copper. Established vendors are fine-tuning technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Management and VDSL2 pair-bonding (Ketch says IPSL could potentially work in conjunction with both those technologies), while newcomers like Xtendwave and Phylogy promise their own new approaches.

“Since FTTP is prohibitively expensive for most telcos, getting more out of the existing copper access network is their most cost-effective option," Keith said.
Source: telephonyonline.com

GPON chips rush home

2008-01-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

Startup Iamba Networks Inc. today will roll out its first chips to bring fiber to the home, joining a growing chorus of companies hoping a long-awaited ramp in gigabit passive optical networks (GPONs) will begin this year.

Competitors including BroadLight, Conexant, Freescale and PMC-Sierra are angling for position with a coming generation of more-integrated chips. The silicon promises to merge into one box optical terminals outside the home and residential gateways inside it.

But it is still unclear exactly how and when the major carriers, each with its own unique requirements, will be ready to switch on GPONs as the next step in broadband service. "The market just isn't

there yet, because it's still developing," said Jag Bolaria, senior analyst with the Linley Group (Mountain View, Calif.). "Verizon is leading the way with BPON [broadband passive optical networks], but they are just in field trials with GPON so far."

Complicating the picture, the systems are typically designed by large telecom companies--including Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Hua Wei, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks and Tellabs--but made by a broader group of smaller companies, many of them scattered across Taiwan and China.

As it joins the fray, startup Iamba (Cupertino, Calif.) is claiming to offer higher performance, lower costs and deeper software support than some of the competition. Its iSN-1000 chips use as many as three Altera Nios cores delivering up to 540 Dhrystone Mips to run software the company provides for IPTV, voice-over-Internet Protocol and GPON management, as well as applications developed by systems makers and carriers.

Iamba is sampling a three-member family of 1.2-watt chips, ranging from a gigabit chip for a single home to a high-end part supporting up to 24 virtual connections for an apartment building. It expects to have parts in production in 60 days.

The chips are designed for four-layer boards and sell for $15 apiece in volumes of more than 100,000 units. They target optical network terminals that cost less than $100 for outdoor units. Iamba aims to follow up the launch with chips sampling in April for the optical line unit, which drives back-end carrier systems.

Iamba's technology "is an improvement over chip sets from companies like BroadLight, Freescale and others," said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband and IPTV at Infonetics Research (Wake Forest, N.C.). "The big question is whether Iamba's technology provides a significant [enough] cost savings to the equipment makers that it makes sense to include its reference designs to potentially increase margins. Now that volume GPON deployments are beginning, price and field experience are going to be the major factors."

The company got its start in 2000 with plans to deliver systems for 622-Mbit/second ATM-based BPON technology, but after a management change in 2005 it shifted to semiconductors and 2.5-Gbit/s GPONs.

"The BPON market was slowing, and it would have cost tens of millions of dollars to launch a new systems company that would have to compete with the likes of Alcatel-Lucent, Hua Wei and others," said Reuven Segev, vice president of marketing at Iamba.

Eyes on the horizon
Chip makers are optimistic this is the year GPON boxes will roll into neighborhoods where carriers are deploying fiber-to-the-home services like Verizon's FiOS.

"We've been in a systems design phase for the last six months" as OEMs port their voice and management software to chips, said Pranay Aiya, a director of marketing of Conexant Systems Inc.. "Deployments have taken longer than expected, and Verizon's transition to GPON has been slower than expected." Still, the company is hopeful volumes will expand beyond 10 million units a year by 2011, Aiya said.

"We expect the industry to ramp this year, because a lot of carriers have had this technology in lab and field trials," said Dan Parsons, vice president of marketing at BroadLight. The company has sold about 250,000 chips for GPON terminals to date and has orders on hand for another 350,000. Some of the early deployments serviced small systems in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

In the United States, AT&T has said it may use GPON for new homes starting this year. But for most customers, AT&T uses a fiber-to-the curb architecture, with VDSL2 over copper to the home.

"It looks like we will see a ramp starting in the second half," said Steven Haas, a director of product marketing at PMC-Sierra Inc., which has sold only sample quantities of GPON chips to date. "Everybody is talking about Verizon and AT&T and a few other possibilities in Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore."

China Netcom and China Telecom have said they will deploy Gigabit Ethernet PON technology in new apartment buildings, said BroadLight's Parsons. In Europe, France Telecom has said it aims to connect as many as 200,000 subscribers in 2008 with integrated GPON gateways.

A key milestone for GPON has been getting everyone's equipment tested. The Full Service Access Network group of carriers and system vendors has been conducting interoperability events hosted by carriers, which optimize tests for some of the particular characteristics of their networks.

"By the second half, I think there will be good interoperability for each of the carrier networks, and the risks of buying the two ends from different vendors will be diminished," said PMC-Sierra's Haas.

Some chip makers, such as BroadLight and Iamba, aim at sales into systems on both ends of the wire. Others are targeting volume sales to home terminals only.

Freescale Semiconductor, for one, has no plans for chips serving the back-end carrier systems. "Most of the systems vendors are using custom FPGAs for that," said Suhail Agwani, a marketing and business development manager in Freescale's Networking and Multimedia group.

One unknown for those aiming at gateway boxes is which home-networking technologies will take off. Verizon is backing Multimedia over Coax, AT&T is using phone-line networking and many carriers in Europe will adopt HomePlug power line technology. Chip makers include a PCI link to an external home-net chip that carriers can specify for their gateways.

The need to tailor terminals for each carrier's requirements is one reason systems makers like Alcatel tend to contract with a range of small design houses.
Source: eetimes.com

How Big is the VDSL Market?

2008-01-22T00:12:00.000-08:00

Ikanos (IKAN) sees the European market as the most promising market for 2008, with several carriers evaluating VDSL platforms powered by Ikanos’ technology. There are several factors which make Europe so attractive for Ikanos.

First, fiber penetration in Europe is not as deep as in Japan and Korea, where fiber is typically pushed very close to the customer’s home or building. In Europe, the loop lengths are substantially longer, ranging from several hundreds to several thousands feet, which calls for ADSL2+ and FTTC/N rather than FTTH/B, assuming that carriers want to minimize capex. Second, European telcos are not pressured by cable operators, as cable companies in Europe are inferior to the large European carriers such as Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica. In the US, cable companies have a very strong position and are planning to fight Verizon’s and AT&T’s triple play offers by massive upgrades, including Docsis 3.0 that can potentially deliver 160Mbps, setting a very high bar. Third, the European market is characterized by strong regulation, which forces carriers to share their infrastructure and provide unbundled access to alternative carriers. This has led numerous carriers to a direct clash with the EU regulatory body regarding network unbundling and the feasibility of network upgrades in light of existing policies. The most familiar of these clashes is DT’s dispute with the European Commission [EC] about its VDSL buildout. DT refuses to provide alternative service providers such as Hansenet and Arcor access to its VDSL network despite harsh criticism and threats from the EC. Fourth, Ikanos has a very strong partnership with Alcatel–Lucent (ALU), the most dominant access vendor in Europe. Ikanos expects most of its future sales in Europe to be derived from the partnership with Alcatel, who is currently shipping its VDSL systems based on Ikanos’ chipset to 3 customers, with additional 4-5 carriers who are in field trials. Ikanos has particularly high hopes for Alcatel’s 48-port VDSL2 line card, which was launched in the first half of 2007.

Ikanos had expected a smooth entrance to the European market after being the undisputed leader in Asia, but things turned out quite differently. VDSL made its debut in Europe in 2006 as Deutsche Telekom (DT), Swisscom and Belgacom started offering tripe play through FTTN architecture. Naturally, the DT deployment was the largest one, but Ikanos found itself supplying chips only for the other two. Both of DT’s suppliers, ECI and Siemens used Infineon’s (IFX) chips, even though both had design wins with Ikanos as well. This was indeed a major triumph for Infineon, after the defeat Ikanos had inflicted upon the German chip maker in 2003-2004 in Asia. Back then, there were two standards for VSDL: DMT (discrete multitone technique), supported by Ikanos and QAM (Quadrature amplitude modulation), supported by Infineon and Metalink (MTLK). While Metalink had some success in Korea, it failed to penetrate the Japanese market, and Infineon was pushed out of both markets by the two tiny companies. In 2004 , a decision by the ITU crowned DMT as the winning standard, further establishing Ikanos’ lead. Infineon embraced the new standard and started developing DMT based chips while Metalink decided to abandon the VDSL market in favor of 802.11n wireless chips. Infineon’s exclusivity at DT was a sweet revenge, with over half a million VDSL2 lines deployed by the end of 2007.

2006 didn’t end too well for Ikanos in Europe as it had 2 FTTN deployments (Swisscom and Belgacom ) and one small FTTB deployment in France (Erenis). However, it had high hopes for additional carriers, especially Telefonica and Telecom Italia (TI) to join the VDSL party during 2007. Unfortunately, both TI and Telefonica expressed their intention to deploy VDSL throughout 2007, but neither actually reached mass deployments.

With over 7 million broadband subscribers (in Italy), Telecom Italia (TI) is talking about its network revamp plans for more than 2 years, without any real actions. One of the causes for the delay was the changes of ownership and reorganization process TI was going through. Nevertheless, it seems like under the newly appointed CEO, the long awaited network upgrade will finally start in 2008. Last month, another obstacle was removed after the company and Italy’s telecommunications regulator reached an agreement regarding granting alternative operators access to TI’s network. On the access side, the carrier plans to upgrade its broadband infrastructure using both FTTC and FTTB for download speeds of 50Mbps and 100Mbps respectively. The target is reaching 5% and 65% of the general population by 2009 and 2017 respectively. This is certainly not the most aggressive plan out there, but it still represents an important opportunity. For instance, a TI executive recently presented plans that include the deployment of half a million VDSL lines in 2008 alone, even though it wouldn’t surprise anybody if actual numbers this year are lower.

Telefonica ended 2007 with almost half a million IPTV subs, most of them are served by ADSL/2. The company already announced Alcatel-Lucent as its ADSL/VDSL supplier in late 2006. However, due to harsh disagreements with the European regulator, the carrier decided to delay the network buildout until regulatory issues are resolved. It is still unclear how the situation will unfold in 2008, as both sides seem to stick with their original positions. The EC certainly isn’t happy with the competitive landscape in the Spanish broadband market . Telefonica chose to postpone the network upgrade, in contrast to DT, who decided to carry on deploying VDSL2 across Germany despite the disagreement with the EC. For now , it seems like Telefonica’s customers are the big losers in this battle.

KPN is another carrier Ikanos’ management has been mentioning for over a year. It started trialing FTTC+VDSL2 in late 2006, but still haven’t deployed substantial amounts of VDSL lines. In recent conferences, the Dutch incumbent announced FTTH as the ultimate goal but it plans to deploy FTTH only in new buildings, using FTTC+VDSL2 in the majority of cases. Tim Poulus provides great insight about KPN’s strategy in his Communications Breakdown blog. In its Q3 conference call, KPN made its commitment for mass VDSL2 deployments in 2008 very clear. Although relatively small, KPN, with over 2.5M broadband users, is still significant for Ikanos for 2008.

Telenor, Norway’s incumbent, is also planning mass deployment of VDSL using FTTN architecture during 2008. The deployment is part of an overall network upgrade that includes FTTH as well as Wimax. Last year, Alcatel-Lucent announced it was chosen by Telenor as the preferred supplier for the FTTN and the FTTH deployments. Since in the press release Alcatel mentions the 48-port VDSL2 line card, it is safe to assume this deployment will be powered by Ikanos’ technology as well. In the end of Q3 Telenor had 750 thousand DSL subscribers, so the overall potential is relatively small. Nevertheless, the VDSL deployment is expected to be extended to other Telenor affiliates, almost doubling the potential market for Ikanos.

France Telecom is another strategic customer for 2008, even though it does not intend to deploy VDSL. FT, with over 7 million broadband subs in France alone has been offering its IPTV services over ADSL for over 2 years, deploying Sagem’s ADSL2 residential gateways. Sagem, which has the majority of FT’s gateway business , is using Ikanos’ technology (acquired from Analog Devices (ADI)). Last year, the incumbent announced its intentions to deploy FTTH, similarly to its competitors Iliad and Neuf. The loop lengths in France are longer relatively to Germany, which makes FTTN/C less attractive. Ikanos has been working with Sagem on residential gateways that can support both ADSL and FTTH, and expects substantial orders from FT for its gateway product, even though it won’t involve VDSL.

On the FTTB side, Ikanos added two European customers in 2007, Netcologne in Germany and an unnamed European alternative carrier. These operators are much smaller than the large incumbents Ikanos hopes to get as customers, but on top of the financial value, the company hopes the success of the smaller operators with FTTB will lead larger operators to deploy FTTB as well.

In summary, although there was a lot of trials and pr activity in 2007, VDSL deployments in Europe were quite modest. KPN and Telenor are very likely to join Belgacom and Swisscom on Ikanos’ customer list, but Ikanos still needs a deployment with one of the larger incumbents in order to see real growth in Europe.

For anyone who wants to keep track of the latest developments in triple-play deployments worldwide, I warmly recommend TelecomView’s website, which is one of the best sources of information out there.

Disclosure: Author is long IKAN / seekingalfa.com

UpZide Expands Business Relationship With Tensilica, Developing Multi-Core VDSL2

2008-01-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

LULEA, Sweden & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--UpZide Labs AB and Tensilica(R), Inc., today announced an expanded
business relationship under which UpZide will take their reference
Vectorized VDSL2 (second generation Very high-speed Digital Subscriber
Line) design to market in a chipset using over 50 Xtensa(R) LX2
configurable processors. Vectorized VDSL2 technology is seen as key to
delivering VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), VoD (video on demand)
and HDTV (high-definition television) simultaneously over standard
telephone lines.

"Our unique scalable architecture is built on multiple Xtensa
processors," said UpZide's CEO, Dr. Mikael Isaksson. "The programmable
nature of this platform allows for efficient future upgrades,
compliance to standard enlargements, customizations and customer niche
optimizations for both control plane (firmware) and data plane
(transceiver). It also allows us to use an advanced system simulation
environment to ensure end-to-end system validation quality."

UpZide's solution builds on the existing and continued roll out of
FTTN (fiber-to-the-network) VDSL2 deployment by significantly
increasing both data rates and reach over the existing copper network
and providing operators with an economically and timely alternative to
FTTH (fiber-to-the-home). UpZide believes its Vectored VDSL is the
next step in large scale broadband roll-outs. Vectoring overcomes the
performance limitations of VDSL2 with a capital expenditure that is
several multiples less than required for FTTH in brown-field
deployments, making it the solution of choice for operators as they
increase their offering of value-added services.

"UpZide's team has strong expertise gained from designing several
VDSL platforms in various semiconductor technologies, including FPGAs,
ASICs and DSPs, since 1995," stated Steve Roddy, Tensilica's vice
president of marketing. "As we've worked together over the past two
years, UpZide has found that our Xtensa configurable processors are
ideal for this project because they can be optimised precisely for
this application. This makes them much faster and energy efficient
than standard control processors, enabling UpZide to design a
processor based solution with the power-area efficiency previously
only attainable with hard-coded RTL design methodologies."

Copyright Business Wire 2008

Clare Introduces Next Addition to Growing Family of DC-Termination ICs for ADSL/VDSL

2008-01-18T06:28:00.001-08:00

Clare Introduces Next Addition to Growing Family of DC-Termination ICs for
ADSL/VDSL Applications

The CPC1466 is used in ADSL/VDSL Customer Premise Equipment (CPE)
to terminate the DC current of DSL twisted-pair copper lines without
telephone voice services
BEVERLY, Mass.--(Business Wire)--Clare, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
IXYS Corporation
(NASDAQ:IXYS), today announced that it is in full production with the
CPC1466 DC-termination IC for ADSL and VDSL CPE applications such as
broadband modems and leased-line equipment. The CPC1466 has the DC
termination functionality necessary to complete the path for wetting
current specified by ITU-T G.992.3. The IC also includes an integrated
current limit feature and detect output that indicates wetting current
is being applied.

The CPC1466 provides a polarity-insensitive DC termination for
wetting current and a recognizable signature for MLT and SARTS
systems. The part has excellent linearity, 70dB typical, to minimize
harmonic distortion associated with its AC impedance and has
well-controlled turn-on and turn-off characteristics to minimize
impulse noise and generation of in-band signal energy into the DSL
channel. Since it interfaces with the tip/ring pair, it is has a
maximum rating of 300V to handle power cross and lightning transients.
These ICs are manufactured on Clare's proven 320V Silicon-On-Insulator
(SOI) process and packaged in a 16 pin SOIC or MLP.

Wetting current, also known as loop sealing current, is a
low-level DC current (usually less than 20 mA) applied to a loop for
the specific purpose of maintaining cable splice integrity by
preventing the build-up of oxidation. The wetting current mainly
addresses all-digital services, unlike services with underlying POTS
(Plain Old Telephone Service) that inherently provide loop current
while off-hook. In addition, service providers have the option of
providing ADSL2+ broadband services to customers without POTS and meet
the requirement for wetting current. With many service providers
implementing ADSL2+ and VDSL, service growth in the symmetrical
high-speed market is up 50% since 2003.
Source: reuters.com

2Wire Unveils the Industry's First Fully Integrated Solution for Digital Home Connectivity

2008-01-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

Interoperability, Intuitive User Interfaces, Place Shifting, Centralized Storage, and Unified Management Are Keys to Successful Integration of the Digital Home
LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - January 2, 2008) - CES -- 2Wire, a provider of broadband service platforms, today unveiled the industry's first fully integrated multi-service connectivity solution, with the addition of the new 2Wire intelligent home server, and the 2Wire Shifter™ remote video and multimedia access feature.
The fully integrated solution creates the opportunity for service providers to be the sole source of the subscriber's entire digital experience, by offering bundled service plans that cover the full breadth of subscriber data and entertainment needs.
For broadband subscribers, the integrated platform finally solves the digital media dilemma. Having embraced digital media, subscribers are ultimately disappointed to discover that file types are mismatched, platforms are proprietary, and media access is limited to specific devices and locations. The result is scattered content and a fragmented digital experience.
2Wire solutions resolve these issues by providing seamless integration of interoperable devices, applications, and services. Key features of the 2Wire platform include automated storage, backup, and universal access to all media types, from purchased video, to photos, music, and user-generated video. Content and services are accessible via a single intuitive Web portal, whether at home or away.
"Since our inception, 2Wire has been opening the door to the digital home for our telco customers, with platforms that provide subscribers uncomplicated, whole-home networking solutions," said Pasquale Romano, president and CEO of 2Wire. "We are now able to provide subscribers with the most unified digital experience available, while giving telcos new products, services, and software that create the unprecedented opportunity to assume ownership of the entire digital home experience."
Both the 2Wire intelligent home server and the 2Wire Shifter leverage the 2Wire HomePortal® intelligent gateway and MediaPortal™ platforms to provide DSL subscribers with a unique, fully convergent digital media experience. HomePortal intelligent gateways feature a high performance ADSL or VDSL modem, high-speed router, professional-grade firewall, integrated voice over IP, and flexible home networking options. The 2Wire MediaPortal platform allows providers to combine broadcast satellite or off-air TV programming with broadband services, to deliver a comprehensive entertainment solution.
The new components of the 2Wire multi-service connectivity solution include:
-- 2Wire intelligent home server - This category-defining new solution
combines the functionality of a network-attached storage device with the
flexibility of a media server. Discover™, an application bundled with
the intelligent home server, actively seeks out content from other
networked devices and, keeping metadata intact, aggregates it into
categorized libraries which can then be accessed directly -- through any
networked device, such as a PC, video game console, or other set top box --
or remotely, through any Internet-connected, media-capable device such as a
computer or even handheld devices and mobile phones. The intelligent home
server features a Web-based user interface, customizable by the service
provider, for simple subscriber access and configuration on the provider's
portal site, utilizing the subscriber's existing username and password.

-- 2Wire Shifter - 2Wire Shifter is the pivotal place-shifting component
of the 2Wire multi-service media platform. This feature is enabled by an
adapter the size of a deck of cards. Interoperable with a variety of
networked devices, including set top boxes and the 2Wire intelligent home
server, it enables Web-based remote access of any multimedia content,
including live streaming television, to any content-capable device, such as
a laptop computer or even a mobile phone.

Each component of the 2Wire multi-service connectivity solution is interoperable and standards-compliant. The entire system is fully manageable by the 2Wire CMS CPE management system as well as a variety of 2Wire server applications. Such applications include business rules and analytics, home automation controls, data backup management, and media management, a server application that mediates third-party content providers and manages subscriber content purchases and downloads, DRM, and billing. As a customized, bundled solution, this suite of intelligent, interoperable products and services features Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) functionality, and a single service-provider-branded, Web-based portal.
All components of the 2Wire multi-service connectivity solution will be made exclusively available to the world's leading telecom broadband service providers. Components are also compatible with many third-party devices, and customized platforms may be provided for integration in a variety of configurations.
2Wire will be demonstrating the new platform to broadband service provider customers in private meetings during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
About 2Wire
2Wire provides global telecom carriers with broadband products, software, and service platforms that enable an integrated triple play of networked data, voice, and media services. Award-winning products and services include residential gateways, broadband multimedia set-top boxes, remote management systems, and call center customer support. 2Wire customers are leading broadband providers throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, including AT&T, Bell Canada, BT, Embarq, SingTel, Telmex, Telstra and others. For more information, visit www.2Wire.com.
2Wire, HomePortal, MediaPortal, and Shifter are trademarks or registered trademarks of 2Wire, Inc. in the United States and in other jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company names may be trade names or trademarks of their respective owners.
Source: marketwire.com

Ikanos' Residential Gateway Vision

2007-12-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

Ikanos Communications (www.ikanos.com) a developer of silicon and software for broadband solutions, recently teamed up with D2 Technologies (www.d2tech.com) to demonstrate a quadruple play residential gateway (for OEM developers) running D2’s Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) software. The device is an amalgam of Ikanos’ Fusiv Vx180 VDSL2 gateway processor with D2’s vPort VoIP software. Both technologies combined enable a residential gateway to support voice (VoIP), video (IPTV), data (VDSL2) and mobile wireless services. Peter Ahimovic, Director of Marketing at Ikanos, says, “Ikanos’ history dates back to VDSL space focusing on CO and CPE side, first with VDSL1 and VDSL2 standards. Then, in early 2006, Ikanos acquired the network processor and ADSL team from ADI [Analog Devices, Inc.]. Our PHY, or layer one physical interface technology for VDSL1 and VDSL2, now joined ADI’s ADSL PHY technologies. Moreover, we combined our PHY technology with ADI’s Fusive gateway processor technology which took us into the gateway market. We can now offer chips and software to enable services such as high-speed Internet access, VoIP, Telco TV, Wireless LANs, Access Point (News - Alert) router-type functionality, security services, and so forth. We have several new products, such as the Vx170 and Vx180 VDSL2 gateway processor, based on the MIPS32 24KE core produced by MIPS.” “The market dynamics are trending in a way that we feel the need to converge the various pieces found in the digital home domain into a single box solution, a residential gateway, where you will have various means of broadband access, be it VDSL, ADSL, cable or even fiber-to-the-home PON-type technology,” says Ahimovic. “Basically we’ll see converging Infotainment, Security and Broadband Access. The services now terminated within the home are on the infotainment side. This includes all of the video services such as PDR, DVR, and media server-type applications, and of course you use a set-top box so you can display the video content. Then there’s voice – meaning terminating derived fixed-line voice, VoIP or fixed-mobile convergence [FMC] voice. And of course we have to provide security across the services, which includes firewalling, anti-spam, anti-virus, and so forth, since threats will always be coming through the broadband access points. Multiple devices in the digital home will be interconnected through the residential gateway and they’ll use an emerging ITU standard called G.HN, in which ‘HN’ stands for ‘Home Networking.’” “The ITU is creating an umbrella over the home networking standards that are available today,” says Ahimovic, “which are industry consortia-led technologies that currently have some technical pieces in common but don’t interwork at all, such as MoCA [Media over Coax Alliance], HPNA [Home Phoneline Networking Alliance], HomePlug, and so forth. So we’re talking about a sort of ‘super middleware’. We provide software, but we’re in the silicon business. We need to provide devices that can run this ‘super middleware’ and enable these services.” “When people talk about Network Attached Storage [NAS], they’re typically referring to a PC with a shared hard drive,” says Ahimovic. “But we believe that technology will migrate to the gateway. Indeed, our Home Media Gateway [HMG] concept incorporates a SATA [Serial ATA] drive so that it can easily offer NAS [Network Attached Storage] and DVR [Digital Video Recording].” “Today many ISPs provide the broadband access part,” says Ahimovic, “with VoIP-type capabilities, and WiFi access points for distributing the Internet access capability, and so forth. That we see carrying forward. Adding to that you’ll see femtocells, a fixed-mobile convergence technology where you have the ability for your cell phone work within your home by connecting to the network via a femtocell emanating from within the gateway, instead of the larger macro network as is usually the case. The gateway will handle the signaling and the voice traffic over its broadband connection. Basically it’s an IP connection from the gateway to the mobile service provider, and then from the gateway to your phone via the femotcell.” “We believe that femtocells will ultimately be a ‘killer application” for broadband access,” says Ahimovic. “The femtocell opportunity is being driven by increased service coverage in the home for voice, video and data as well as reduced operating costs for the wireless providers. Various opportunities exist to sell femtocells to existing broadband subscribers as well as new deployments.” “You may well ask what happens to the set-top box as all this technology appears,” says Ahimovic. “Today, of course, all set-top boxes are doing the video decoding that typically it’s super set-top box that is doing the DVR and multi-room DVR and so forth. Our vision is that DVR capabilities will be part of the gateway. It’s a device managed by the service provider, and has the ability to turn features on-and-off as desired by the subscriber, so it allows providers to derive additional revenue by offering features on a subscription basis, typically a monthly fee.” “You’ll see centralized content storage, centralized policy-driven management of the home media gateway [HMG] and peer-to-peer distributed storage too,” beams Ahimovic.

Source: tmcnet.com

AT&T Switches From Tellabs To Ericsson

2007-12-27T02:03:00.000-08:00

Light Reading notes that AT&T, who just launched U-Verse in their first BellSouth territory market (Atlanta), has dumped Tellabs in the southeast. The company has discontinued purchasing Tellabs fiber-to-the-curb gear, and instead is now using Ericsson FTTN gear. Telephony Online has more detail on why AT&T is shifting from FTTC to FTTP in the Southeast:
In an interview today, Leopold said AT&T may choose to deploy Ericsson's gear in a configuration very similar to FTTC but based on IP rather than ATM. One of his sources had described to him a scenario in which AT&T would deploy fiber to Ericsson equipment located within a few hundred feet of each home and run VDSL2 the rest of the way, which essentially describes FTTC. The difference is, that 500 feet is IP-based VDSL2, so it fits better into the U-Verse architecture, in that you're getting rid of all the ATM, he said.AT&T's U-Verse deployment area is small for now (only a few hundred homes) as the company tests the service on the former BellSouth network. Source: dslreports.com

Public comment sort for VDSL2 Standards

2007-12-27T02:02:00.000-08:00

Independent telecommunications body, the Communications Alliance, has unveiled draft standards on customer equipment needed for Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 (VDSL2) - the next generation of broadband technology.
According to the Communications Alliance, VDSL2 deployment will give businesses and consumers greater ability to use higher bandwidth services such as high definition television, video streaming and interactive gaming over the existing copper telephone network. It can also operate at speeds more than 10 times faster than the ADSL technology most commonly used in Australian broadband services today.The draft standards released by the Communications Alliance are designed to ensure suppliers can provide customer equipment (e.g. broadband modems, PBX systems etc) that will be compatible with the new VDSL2 services when they become available in Australia. For instance, customers could buy broadband modems suitable for their existing ADSL services and not need to replace them when upgrading to VDSL2 in the future.The draft standards have been developed by a Communications Alliance Working Committee of technical experts representing a cross-section of the industry and are aligned with international recommendations as well as local requirements.
Source: itnews.com.au

7 science and technology projects win national awards

2007-12-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

SINGAPORE: A possible cancer treatment drug and a technology that allows much faster broadband internet are among the seven entries that won this year's National Science and Technology Awards.

Cancer is Singapore's number one killer, so the development of a compound that tackles cancer cells is significant.

Associate Professor Uttam Surana's work on a possible cancer treatment drug has won him the National Science Award.

He said how cells divide is important because any deviation can affect the health of a cell and, in extreme cases, its ability to survive.

"We've tested a whole variety of cancer cells and a subset of them is quite sensitive to this compound. We have taken these studies to nude mice assays which you can take human cells and create tumours in nude mice. And you treat these mice with the compound and stop the growth of tumour cells," said AP Surana.

The research is at an early stage and the professor from A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology wants to overcome initial problems with the compound in two years, before any clinical trials.

The awards do not just revolve around science research and new knowledge. Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific won the National Technology Award for VDSL2 (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line).

The company said the technology enables faster downloading of files by 10 times and uploading by 100 times.

SingTel is currently in talks with the maker and evaluating the technology.

Another recipient of the National Technology Award is a team from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research which spent years developing a coding technology that compresses high quality music into small digital files, using what is called MPEG-4 Scaleable Lossless Coding.

Huang Haibin from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research, said: "This new technology compresses all the information in a small file but all the information is perfectly preserved."

A*STAR aims to sell the technology within six months.
Source: channelnewsasia.com

Chipset supports VDSL2 testing

2007-12-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

Ikanos' fifth generation Fx10050S-5 VDSL2 CPE chipset supports all VDSL2 profiles up to 17.6MHz and offers up to 100/50Mbit/s performance

Sunrise Telecom is using Ikanos' Fx10050S-5 VDSL2 customer premises equipment (CPE) chipset in its latest VDSL transceiver unit-remote terminal (VTU-R) test solution for the SunSet MTT modular platform. When used with the SunSet MTT ACM II modular test set, the Sunrise Telecom solution provides service providers with a range of testing capabilities - from VDSL2 VTU-R modem emulation to 30MHz spectrum noise tests.

The solution is designed for efficient VDSL2 service installation and verification.

A one-button test significantly reduces the up front training and installation time by automatically presenting a summary screen of key metrics, including achieved data rate and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) margin.

Ikanos' fifth generation Fx10050S-5 VDSL2 CPE chipset supports all VDSL2 profiles up to 17.6MHz and offers up to 100/50Mbit/s performance.

'The growing demand for bandwidth, combined with the trend to bundle voice, video and data on a single packet-based network, is increasing the complexity of the network', said Dean Westman, Vice President and General Manager for Ikanos' Gateway Products Group.

'By enabling innovative DSL testing and monitoring solutions, Ikanos is easing service providers' deployments of IPTV and triple-play services worldwide'.
Source: electronicstalk.com

DSL Forum announces Broadbandsuite Release 3.0

2007-12-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

The DSL Forum has announced the approval of its latest technical report, TR-135 data model for a TR-069 enabled STB and the amendment of the TR-069 - which the forum claims is set to expedite IPTV rollouts and change the way operators manage their IPTV offering.

Closely following the release of BroadbandSuite Release 2.0, these new specifications are cornerstone to the pending Release 3.0, which will address triple-play augmented via VDSL2, GPON and bonded DSL over a QoS-enabled ethernet architecture. Release 3.0 will also provide support for multicast to enable IPTV streaming as well as integrated remote management of set top boxes (STB) and attached storage devices. The full release is tentatively scheduled to be complete in late 2008.

As a key part of Broadbandsuite Release 3.0, TR-135 defines the data model for remote management of digital television (IPTV or broadcast) functionality on STB devices via CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP) as defined in TR-069 Amendment 2 and
TR-106. This report provides the data model for describing STB capabilities such as PVR, IGMP, quality of service as well as providing a means to enable video service performance monitoring. General use cases are also described in the report, including standard data model profiles that would typically be seen while remotely managing a device of this nature.

In TR-135, the Auto-Configuration Server (ACS) may perform some initial configuration of a newly installed STB, but its main functions are configuration of STB parameters for trouble management and collection of statistics for quality of service (QoS)/quality of experience (QoE) monitoring.

Established in 1994, the DSL Forum is an international industry consortium of over 200 service providers, equipment manufacturers and other interested parties.
Source: digitalmediaasia.com

Technology News of Technology, Adsl, Vdsl, Voip, Wimax, Search Engines

2007-11-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

In order to use multiple blogs for news, i will use only one Technology News blog at http://lasttechnology.blogspot.com/ and will have categories of Technology, Adsl, Vdsl, Wimax, Voip, Google, Yahoo, Internet and more.

Watch the latest Vdsl2/Vdsl2+ news at my Last Technology News Blog Vdsl2 Part

NetCracker Announces New Capabilities for Service Providers

2007-11-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

NetCracker Technology today announced capabilities that will allow service providers to provision and fulfill high bandwidth and high definition services over VDSL2/2+, WiMAX and Metro Ethernet infrastructures.

These new capabilities actually build on its recently announced solutions that manage content-rich, high definition services from a single platform that spans Network and IT domains.According to the company, these capabilities can combine with the company’s telephone number and IP management products to provide a foundation for delivering Web 2.0 services in a unified, single package.NetCracker now provides out-of-the-box models for multivendor VDSL2, VDSL2+, xPON and Metro Ethernet devices. NetCracker adds WiMAX to its current portfolio of WiFi and EDGE high bandwidth capabilities, for wireless high-definition connectivity.NetCracker’s new solution supports the migration to IPv6 by allowing service providers to manage IPv4 and IPv6 address pools in parallel, in addition to the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 by including assignments among subscribers and network elements. It also allows service providers to anage fixed, mobile, and VoIP telephone number assignments for rapid delivery of complex next generation networks, services, and service bundles.
Source: tmcnet.com

NetCracker Enables High Definition

2007-11-06T01:23:00.000-08:00

First to Market With WiMAX, VDSL2+, and Metro Ethernet Fulfillment and Provisioning
Provides Seamless Carrier Grade IP Address Migration From IPv4 to IPv6
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NetCracker Technology announced today innovative, first-to-market capabilities that enable service providers to fulfill and provision high definition and high bandwidth services over WiMAX, VDSL2/2+, and Metro Ethernet infrastructures. These capabilities — when combined with the company’s industry-leading IP and telephone number management products — provide the foundation for delivering Web 2.0 services in a single, unified package.
NetCracker’s new capabilities build on its recently announced solutions that manage content-rich, high definition services from a single platform that spans Network and IT domains. For wireline high definition connectivity, NetCracker now provides out-of-the-box models for multivendor VDSL2, VDSL2+, Metro Ethernet, and xPON devices. For wireless high definition connectivity, NetCracker adds WiMAX to its current portfolio of WiFi and EDGE high bandwidth capabilities.
To support the migration to IPv6, NetCracker’s new solution allows service providers to:
Manage IPv4 and IPv6 address pools in parallel as well as the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, including assignments among network elements and subscribers
Manage fixed, mobile, and VoIP telephone number assignments for rapid delivery of complex next generation networks, services, and service bundles
Add business policies to IP addresses to allow management by service, customer, or geographic attributes
Implement “one customer–one number” using a variety of number portability schemes
“Our customers are laying the foundation for a transformation to ultra high speed connectivity and Web 2.0,” said Andrew Feinberg, President and CEO of NetCracker Technology. “As their strategic partner, we are committed to making that transformation successful.”

EFTel plans to rollout VDSL

2007-11-05T00:57:00.000-08:00

Australian Internet provider, EFTel Limited has announced its plans to rollout of nationwide Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 (VDSL2), the next generation in high-speed broadband delivery nationwide.

The ASX-listed provider believes VDSL2 will enable speeds of up to 100Mbps, 4 times faster than ADSL2+ and from 12 to 400 times faster than ADSL.

The network, to be called BroadbandNext, will be built on Multiservice access node (MSAN) technology. MSANs are apparently a leap ahead of the traditional DSLAM Broadband technology being rolled out by most providers.

In its statement to the ASX, EFTel said the project will commence in February 2008, with the MSANs will be aggressively rolled out at a rate of 15 exchanges per month, with an initial schedule of 70 exchanges nationwide.

EFTel’s CEO Simon Ehrenfeld said its MSANs can deliver VDSL2, ADSL2+, traditional ADSL, SHDSL corporate solutions, normal PSTN Voice services, IP Video, VoIP, and Bare DSL.

More importantly, the rollout brings EFTel some freedom from the Telstra cost prison, according Ehrenfled.

“This is the most exciting event in the history of EFTel. We are delivering a
service to the Australian public that is new, technically advanced, delivers the blindingly fast broadband consumers have been asking for, and leaves major
competitors in our wake,” he said.

EFTel is partnering with ASX-listed PIPE Networks and Chinese giant
Huawei Technologies to ensure an effective network capacity in Australia.

EFTel’s major projects manager Luke MacKinnon said after dialogue between EFTel and telcos of varying sizes throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, it was clear that VDSL2 is also the technology which will be best suited to a Fibre to the Node (FTTN) environment in the future.

“If and when FTTN occurs, the network infrastructure will be redeployable,” he said. EFTel Ltd will be retailing VDSL2 and its other new services through its flagship

EFTel retail brand as well as its aaNet brand. Its wholesale division, DFT Wholesale Internet, will be offering access to its numerous ISP customers.

VDSL2 is expected to be certified for use on the public switched telephone network in the first quarter of 2008.

EFTel launches VDSL2 while iiNet flags Naked debut

2007-11-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Perth-based internet providers EFTel Ltd and iiNet Ltd today announced plans to launch innovative broadband services, designed to help them take market share from the incumbents, led by Telstra. EFTel Ltd has announced the rollout of multi-service access nodes to 70 telephone exchanges across the nation at a rate of 15 per month, to provide access to its Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 service. Declaring them to be a step above the more widespread DSLAM broadband technology, MSANs can also deliver ADSL2+, traditional ADSL, SHDSL corporate solutions, normal PSTN Voice services, IP Video, VoIP, and Bare DSL, EFTEL said in an announcement. VDSL2 will offer speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, around four times the current maximum speed of ADSL2+, and from 12 to 400 times faster than ADSL services. That said, the speed of VDSL2 is closely linked to user's proximity to an exchange, with VDSL2 users over 1.6 km away from an exchange experiencing internet speeds similar to that of ADSL2 users. EFTel has signed a deal with Queensland-based PIPE Networkds and Chinese giant Huawei Technologies to provide access to telecommunications networks, the company said in an announcement.Meanwhile, iiNet has launched a registration website from its homepage in preparation for the launch of its Naked DSL product later this month. The service will enable iiNet customers to set up broadband without the need for a landline phone service, eliminating phone line rental fees, a move the company says will save customers around $10 to $15 per month. Customers will still be able to receive and make phone calls through their Internet phone service, according to a company announcement. The full text of an EFTel announcement is pasted belowEFTel Limited (ASX Code: EFT) became the first Internet provider to announce the planned rollout of nationwide VDSL2, the next generation in high-speed broadband delivery.VDSL2 or 'Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2' will enable speeds of up to 100Mbps, 4 times faster than ADSL2+ and from 12 to 400 times faster than ADSL.The network, which will be called BroadbandNext, will be built on MSAN (Multi-service access node) technology. MSANs are a leap ahead of the traditional DSLAM Broadband technology being rolled out by most providers. MSANs have superior upgradeability, scalability, redundancy and environmental sustainability.Commencing in February 2008, the MSANs will be aggressively rolled out at a rate of 15 exchanges per month, with an initial schedule of 70 exchanges nationwide. EFTel will support the fastest and most advanced DSL broadband network technology in Australia.EFTel's MSANs can deliver VDSL2, ADSL2+, traditional ADSL, SHDSL corporate solutions, normal PSTN Voice services, IP Video, VoIP, and Bare DSL."Customers connected to BroadbandNext will enjoy benefits such as massively fast downloads, a wider range of service types, and improved levels of customer support from a smarter network," CEO Simon Ehrenfeld said today."Apart from delivering superior services to customers, the rollout brings EFTel some freedom from the Telstra cost prison.""This week, the ACCC handed down its final LSS (line sharing service) decision, maintaining its pricing guidance. This is excellent news for users as well as providers who are installing infrastructure. A key means of ensuring margin growth is to own strategically selected pieces of the infrastructure that give rapid payback. In this way we can deliver value-added services and at the same time reduce costs.""This is the most exciting event in the history of EFTel. We are delivering a service to the Australian public that is new, technically advanced, delivers the blindingly fast broadband consumers have been asking for, and leaves major competitors in our wake" he said.EFTel is partnering with PIPE Networks (ASX Code: PWK) and Chinese giant Huawei Technologies to ensure the most sophisticated and effective network capacity in Australia. Huawei is a leader in providing next generation telecommunications networks, serving 31 of the world's top 50 telco operators, with over one billion end users worldwide. PIPE owns and operates Australia's largest Internet exchange, and an Australia-wide network of fibre-optic cable serving over 180 telephone exchanges."Customers can look forward to much faster broadband speeds early in 2008, when the first exchanges are connected to the BroadbandNext network," Major Projects Manager Luke MacKinnon said today."After dialogue between EFTel and telcos of varying sizes throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, it is clear to us that VDSL2 is also the technology which will be best suited to a Fibre to the Node (FTTN) environment in the future. If and when FTTN occurs, the network infrastructure will be redeployable," he said.EFTel Ltd will be retailing VDSL2 and its other new services through its flagship EFTel retail brand as well as its aaNet brand. Its wholesale division, DFT Wholesale Internet, will be offering access to its numerous ISP customers. EFTel currently serves around 25% of Australia's Internet Service Providers with IP bandwidth, co-location, and wholesale ADSL solutions. EFTel Corporate will be offering an exciting new suite of high powered business solutions that the technology offers.VDSL2 is expected to be certified for use on the public switched telephone network in the first quarter of 2008. The full text of an iiNet announcement is pasted belowiiNet flags imminent Naked DSL LaunchNaked DSL information and registration site now open01 November, 2007 - In a clear signal that its customer trials have been successful, iiNet Limited (ASX: IIN) today opened an information and registration website, www.iinet.net.au/gonaked in preparation for the launch of its Naked DSL product later this month.At the website, potential customers or interested parties are able to learn about Naked DSL and its consumer benefits, and can also register their interest in the new product. iiNet will use the registrations to update individuals on the availability of Naked DSL.Naked DSL enables eligible customers to have fast broadband without the need for a landline phone service, eliminating costly phone line rental fees. Customers can still receive and make phone calls through their Internet phone service, which allows additional savings on Internet calls, compared to standard landline call charges. Michael Malone, iiNet's Managing Director said Naked DSL released customers from their costly landline phone service."This is a significant step forward in the evolution of broadband services for Australian consumers. We are all increasingly relying on mobile phones and the Internet for making our phone calls," he said. "Many people are now paying for a compulsory landline phone service they just don't use.""Naked DSL will save people monthly phone line rental fees whilst still providing full speed ADSL2+ broadband with a broadband phone service that provides far cheaper call rates than a landline phone service."Pricing for the new Naked DSL product is expected to begin at around $10-$15 a month less than consumers typically pay for their broadband and line rental at the moment.iiNet has been testing its Naked DSL product over the past two months and has reported positive feedback from the trial participants. iiNet plans to launch the product for general sale later this month.

What is VDSL / VDSL2 ?

2007-10-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Very High Bit Rate DSL 2 (VDSL2), a new standard is likely to be ratified by next week, making it possible for carriers to provide upto 100 megabits per second connections (both up and down) over copper lines. VDSL2 standard has been under review with the International Telecommunications Union for sometime now, and the decision on the standard could come early next week.
VDSL2 is really really fast. How fast? According to Ikanos estimates, it takes an “ADSL network more than 45 minutes to transmit up to 50 high-resolution photos at 3 Mb per photo. Sending the same number of photos can take less than a minute over VDSL/VDSL2 networks.”
VDSL, though once thought of as a good solution for bringing more bandwidth to the home has lagged because of its lack of reach. It has become popular in the overseas markets because densely populated countries like China and Korea have central offices that are much closer to consumer premises. VDSL2 standard, which uses about 30 MHz of spectrum (versus 12 MHz in VDSL) allows more data to be sent at higher speeds and over longer distances. BellSouth and SBC have plans to use super-fast DSL to connect their fiber nodes to consumer homes. Qwest for instance has about 40,000 customers who are using VDSL technologies. But eventually if they want to offer true triple play with high-definition streams, they will eventually have to migrate to VDSL2 technology which can handle three HDTV streams with relative ease. (Three HD streams at the very least because at present average American home has 3.1 televisions.) Of course there is that whole issue of US homes being too far from the Central office. The good news is that VDSL2 is going to be backward compatible with ADSL, ADSL2 and VDSL.
Here is a little comparison of more recent flavors of DSL

ADSL has speeds up to 8 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Can be deployed from Central office and has a range of 15,000 feet and longer.
ADSL2+ has a maximum speed of 25 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Can be deployed from Central office and has a range of 15,000 feet and longer
VDSL , some chipsets that use the optional spectrum of 30 MHz can do 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream. Current carriers include NTT, KDDI, Korea Telecom, and Softbank BB of Japan. Has a range of about 5,000 feet
VDSL2 has speeds of 100 Mbps downstream and 100 Mbps upstream. Has a range of about 12000

Short Comparison:

DSL (ADSL) is limited to about 8 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.
ADSL2 is limited to about 25 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream.
VDSL (Very High Bit Rate DSL) is limited to about 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream.
VDSL2 is limited to about 100 Mbps downstream and 100 Mbps upstream.

D2 Technologies Announces Software, Partnership

2007-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara-based D2 Technologies, a provider of software for mobile phones, has announced a new software product focused on providing VoIP to mobile phones.
The company said that its VPort MP product now supports a number of voice-over-IP capabilities which are being used by mobile providers to link WiFi and cell networks.
Separately, D2 said that it has partnered with Ikanos Communications, which will use D2's Voice over Internet Protocol software in conjunction with its VDSL2 processor.
The combined products are targeted at designers and manufacturers of residential gateways. posted on Monday, October 29, 2007

ZyXEL Picks up Chunghwa Telecom's First VDSL2 Equipment Tender for 340,000 Lines

2007-10-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

ZyXEL Communications, supplier of broadband Internet access devices, routers, ISDN terminal adapters, and high performance modems, is maintaining the growing momentum with the latest gain of VDSL2 equipment offer from Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan’s biggest telecom player.

With firm plans to complete the construction of “next generation access network” project by 2013, CHT has made an investment of NT$60 billion (US$1.9 billion), deciding also to hand over the job to ZyXEL, which has been showing superior performance with its active Ethernet ETTx solution and multi-service features targeted at service providers. The 340,000 line deal is the largest and most complex order for a single tender to date.

“Winning several CHT tenders in a row is recognition of ZyXEL’s technical expertise and competitiveness,” says Dr. Yuh-Long Chen, President of ZyXEL Communications. “ZyXEL will take full advantage of its experience obtained from major overseas VDSL projects to help CHT deploy an island-wide broadband network. We are confident that our professional experience and knowledge will lay a solid foundation for our relationship with CHT.”

Under this deal, ZyXEL will provide VDSL2 devices including 8- and 16-port VES1600 Series VDSL2 rack- and wall-mountable environment hardened switches and the IES5005 chassis based unit for remote FTTB/FTTC deployment, and an integrated VDSL2 gateway with built-in 4-port router and WiFi.

ZyXEL switches deliver enhanced Quality of Service mechanism and Dual-Rate-3-Color, for CHT. In addition to Dual-Rate-3-Color, 64 Kbps increment has the capability to offer CHT the flexibility of bandwidth adjustment for various bandwidth sets as per the customer demand. ZyXEL VDSL2 DSLAMs can offer the choice between AC and DC power. The solution enables CHT to offer value-added triple play and interactive media services such as Multimedia on Demand (MOD).

Next Generation Network (NGN) is a completely digitized communications architecture which amalgamates fixed-line, mobile phone, and internet data services in a single network platform.

D2 Technologies and Ikanos Unveil Integrated Design for VoIP-Enabled Quadruple Play Devices

2007-10-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

D2 Technologies, the market leader in embedded software platforms that power IP communications, and Ikanos Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:IKAN), a leading developer and provider of Fiber Fast? broadband solutions, today unveiled a quadruple play residential gateway with D2?s voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) software. Attendees at the Fall VON 2007 conference can see a demonstration of the Ikanos Fusiv® Vx180 optimized with D2 Technologies? vPort embedded VoIP software in Suite 105 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Oct. The solution, which combines Ikanos? Fusiv Vx180 VDSL2 gateway processor with D2?s vPort VoIP software, enables designers and manufacturers to quickly deliver residential gateways that support voice, video, data and mobile wireless services. The residential gateway design also accelerates the rollout of new VDSL2 customer premises equipment (CPE) for the home office or small- to medium-size businesses, offering comprehensive quality of service (QoS) for VoIP and Internet protocol television (IPTV) applications.
?By integrating our Fusiv technology with D2?s vPort platform, we are able to offer original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more flexibility and choice in developing products that will support unified communications offerings around the world,? said Dean Westman, vice president and general manager of Ikanos? Gateway Products Group. ?This platform further enriches the Fusiv eco-system, enabling customers to benefit from a variety of solutions that utilize the advanced processing capabilities of Ikanos? industry-leading Vx180 gateway processor.?
The Fusiv Vx180 multi-mode VDSL2 gateway processor provides 2.7 GHz of processing power, VoIP, multimode DSL and security, and supports best-in-class QoS and wire speed performance. With the Fusiv Vx180, space and power requirements are lower because it combines Ikanos? industry-leading VDSL2 CPE PHY and its widely deployed Fusiv network processor architecture onto a single chip. The gateway processor is optimized for IPTV and triple play with features such as dynamic rate repartitioning (DRR) and seamless rate adaptation (SRA), which are expected to be incorporated into Future standards enhancements.
D2's vPort embedded VoIP software offers the industry?s broadest support for integrated circuit and system on a chip (IC/SoC) designs, including ARM- and MIPS-based architectures. It enables manufacturers to rapidly deliver the latest IP communications devices by ensuring networking, signaling and voice processing functions execute as an integrated solution on a single processor. D2?s VoIP software solutions are field proven, processing more than 45 billion minutes of VoIP traffic in customer-deployed products per month.
?Ikanos and D2 have the same goal: to help designers and manufacturers bring full-featured communications solutions to market quickly and economically,? said Doug Makishima, vice president of marketing and sales at D2 Technologies. ?By combining the strengths of our technologies, we now offer OEMs a way to simultaneously simplify design and improve the Performance of VoIP-enabled gateway products for the fastest-growing market segment -- consumers and small businesses.?

Ikanos introduced Rapid Rate Adaptation (RRA(TM)) technology

2007-10-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

Ikanos'' recently-introduced Rapid Rate Adaptation (RRA(TM)) technology is designed to allow service providers to minimize service interruptions and increase uptime compared to previous generations of VDSL2 and ADSLx, thus enhancing the user experience of triple play over VDSL2. The RRA technology is a fundamental DSL innovation that enables transceivers to dynamically adapt the data rate without interrupting service for retraining, as long as there is adequate bandwidth to absorb the impact of the noise. -- Ikanos announced that Gemtek Technology Co. Ltd., an original design manufacturer (ODM) based in Taiwan, is now shipping a full featured triple play residential gateway that uses Ikanos'' VDSL2 CPE and Fusiv® processor silicon and residential gateway software suite. Gemtek''s WVDK-105G is being offered to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide and has been qualified by a major North American carrier. -- Ikanos and Wintegra announced an Ethernet bonding solution for their mutual VDSL2 customers. This solution combines Wintegra''s market-leading Access Packet Processors and Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) bonding software with Ikanos'' multi-mode VDSL2 central office (CO) chipsets, which offer the industry''s highest performance and lowest power. The jointly developed solution is designed to deliver a compelling mix of validated hardware and software, which enables carriers to rapidly deploy services. Outlook: -- Revenue is expected to be between $29 million and $31 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. -- Non-GAAP gross margins* are expected to be between 44% and 46% in the fourth quarter of 2007. GAAP gross margins in the fourth quarter of 2007 will be lower than non-GAAP gross margins, as they will include amortization of acquisition-related intangibles of approximately $0.3 million to $1.0 million and charges related to stock-based compensation expense in accordance with FAS 123? of approximately $0.1 million. -- Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $14 to $15 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. GAAP operating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2007 will be higher, as they will include amortization of acquisition-related intangibles of $0.3 million, restructuring charges of $0.3 to $0.5 million and charges related to stock-based compensation expense in accordance with FAS 123? of $3.5 to $4.5 million. -- Annual 2008 revenue growth is expected to increase by 20 to 25% as compared to fiscal 2007. -- Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $57 to $61 million for 2008. GAAP operating expenses in 2008 will be higher, as they will include amortization of acquisition-related intangibles of approximately $1.3 million, and charges related to stock-based compensation expense in accordance with FAS 123? of approximately $14 to $16 million. * The Company refers to gross margins as the result of revenue less cost of revenue divided by revenue.

Comtrend Takes Leadership Role In Residential IPTV Deployment

2007-10-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

Comtrend Takes Leadership Role In ResidentialIPTV Deployment By Licensing Broadcom® PhyR™ Technology
Router/Gateway Manufacturer is First in U.S. to Acquire Broadcom’s Breakthrough Firmware Upgrade, Enabling Dramatically Improved Triple-Play Quality of Service
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comtrend Corp., a leading supplier of broadband, VoIP and data networking equipment, today announced it has become the first U.S. CPE equipment vendor to license and introduce the use of Broadcom Corporation’s (NASDAQ: BRCM) PhyR™ impulse noise protection technology, a major advancement that promises dramatically improved voice, data and video services for residential and business DSL customers. Comtrend intends to deploy PhyR (pronounced “fire”) technology across its lineup of ADSL2+ and VDSL2 routers and gateways, giving its carrier customers a competitive advantage in deploying next-generation triple-play services, particularly IPTV, over existing copper lines.
PhyR is an innovative data retransmission system that exists at the DSL physical layer. The technology, developed exclusively by Broadcom, increases impulse noise resilience by as much as ten times, while also lowering residual BER (Bit-Error-Rate) or packet loss.
With ADSL2+/VDSL2 equipment powered by PhyR technology, telecom carriers have a simple and inexpensive way to deploy IPTV and other advanced triple-play services with the assured quality of service. It also allows carriers to extend their network service area without loss of video quality.
“Deploying IPTV effectively requires a guaranteed amount of DSL data throughput as well as low latency and high Impulse Noise Protection, or INP,” said Joe Maier, Director of Technology for Comtrend. “Unfortunately, the standard interleaving approach to achieving INP imposes a high interleave delay, which negatively impacts throughput. PhyR is a true breakthrough because it significantly reduces the burden on DSL networks that would otherwise use a higher layer retransmission scheme, thereby increasing efficiency and enabling the high bit rate IPTV requires.”
In addition to its simple physical layer architecture, CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) powered by Broadcom® PhyR technology offers a number of practical business advantages. Premises-based tuning is eliminated, making network provisioning much easier. Firmware upgrades can be easily deployed through remote management; and because PhyR reduces the burden on networks that use higher layer retransmission schemes, network and upper layer applications are not impacted in any way.
“As triple play carriers are aware, IPTV can be extremely fickle. Even small disturbances or power surges can cause poor IPTV video quality,” noted Andrew Morton, Comtrend’s General Manager. “For the upcoming IPTV push to be successful, service quality must not only meet, but surpass, existing service quality. Comtrend PhyR-powered ADSL2+ and VDSL2 routers and gateways will meet that high standard.”
Comtrend is currently in test with its PhyR-powered equipment and expects to begin deployment in early 2008. For more information about Comtrend’s CPE for telecom and datacom use, visit www.comtrend.com.
About Comtrend Corp.:
With more than 6 million products installed, Comtrend is a leading global supplier of DSL equipment. Comtrend offers a broad array of leading edge, high-quality DSL products that embeds ADSL, ADSL2+, Bonded ADSL2+ and VDSL2 technologies to support; triple-play voice, video and data applications including IP-Video, VoIP, optional WiFi Drops and industry standard QoS with VLAN traffic assignment; IGMP snooping and IGMP proxy providing efficient traffic management and control in IP multicast applications. Comtrend is a global company with headquarters in Irvine, California, and offices in Madrid, Spain and Taipei, Taiwan. For more information, visit the Comtrend web site at: www.comtrend.com.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything® and PhyR™ are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States certain other countries and/or the EU. Wi-Fi® is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

ZyXEL Awarded Chunghwa Telecom's First VDSL2 Equipment Tender for 340,000 Lines

2007-10-24T00:30:00.001-07:00

ZyXEL Awarded Chunghwa Telecom's First VDSL2 Equipment Tender for 340,000 Lines ZyXEL VDSL2 Switch and Gateway Solutions Deployed in Next Generation
FTTC/FTTB Network with MOD Services
ANAHEIM, CALIF., October 23 /CNW/ - ZyXEL Communications, the world's
leading broadband access solutions provider, announced that the company has
been awarded the VDSL2 equipment tender for the "Next Generation Access
Network" from Taiwan's largest incumbent telecom operator, Chunghwa Telecom
(CHT). This project, comprised of 340,000 lines, is CHT's first procurement of
VDSL2 equipment, and is also the largest and most complex order for a single
tender, in terms of deployment scale and product specifications in the world.
CHT qualified vendors based on the best product specifications, service
and support, as well as previous deployment experience. ZyXEL offered CHT a
VDSL2 solution that offered maximum flexibility in terms of features and
deployment options and excellent sales and technical support. After months of
rigorous reviews and tests, ZyXEL surpassed the other contenders and won the
contract.
"Winning several CHT tenders in a row is recognition of ZyXEL's technical
expertise and competitiveness," says Dr. Yuh-Long Chen, President of ZyXEL
Communications. "ZyXEL will take full advantage of its experience obtained
from major overseas VDSL projects to help CHT deploy an island-wide broadband
network. We are confident that our professional experience and knowledge will
lay a solid foundation for our relationship with CHT."
To meet the deployment needs of CHT's "Next Generation Access Network,"
ZyXEL will provide VDSL2 devices including 8 and 16 port VES1600 Series VDSL2
rack-mountable and wall-mountable environment hardened switches and the
IES5005 chassis based unit for remote FTTB/FTTC deployment and an integrated
VDSL2 gateway with built-in 4-port router and Wi-Fi. ZyXEL VDSL2 DSLAMs come
in different port densities and offer the choice between AC and DC power. With
high-bandwidth and high-performance throughput, robust support for QoS
(Quality of Service), network security and bandwidth management, the ZyXEL
VDSL2 solution offers key functionality enabling CHT to provide value-added
triple-play (data, voice and video) and interactive media services such as
Multimedia On Demand (MOD).

Ikanos Named Primary Vdsl2 Supplier For Westell's Ultraline Series3

2007-10-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Westell Limited, the convergence gateways and broadband access solutions specialist, today announced that Ikanos Communications, Inc.'s VDSL2 chipsets will power its initial UltraLine Series3 multiservice residential gateway. The UltraLine Series3 is currently being offered to major telecommunications companies and is a key component in major fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments.
Westell selected Ikanos' Fx100100S-5 VDSL2 CPE chipset because it offers unrivalled triple play experience for consumers with integrated Quality of Service (QoS) and enhanced impulse noise protection schemes. Additionally, the Fx100100S-5 is the first chipset in the industry to be optimised for IPTV delivery.
"Ikanos' high-performance VDSL2 solution is ideal for broadband intensive applications," said Westell's Product Line Director, Scott Voegele. "The Fx100100S-5 chipset provides field-proven performance for FTTH applications and 100 Mbps symmetrical throughput. These features are absolute requirements for the carriers we are supporting."
Westell introduced the UltraLine Series3 earlier this year as one of the only line of residential gateways in the industry to support the most recent advances in wide area network (WAN) solutions. The UltraLine Series3 supports the highest rate VDSL2 (30a) profile and is capable of bi-directional 100 Mbps traffic over short distances. The higher throughput VDSL2 30a profile is ideal for multiple dwelling unit (MDU) applications and green field scenarios.
"Westell is one of the top broadband customer premises equipment manufacturers in the world, so it is a great privilege to work with them on this solution," said Vice President and General Manager for Ikanos' Gateway Products Group, Dean Westman. "Being selected for broadband deployment is a testament to the advanced capabilities of our VDSL2 chipsets."

New handheld tester for VDSL

2007-10-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

(PRLEAP.COM) Ebermannstadt, Germany, Vierling will present its new VIT-V2 VDSL2 tester for the first time ever during the Vierling Autumn Fair from September 19-20, 2007. This handheld tester is used by service technicians to detect errors and configuration problems on VDSL lines. A laptop can be connected to read out important connection parameters. Using spectrum analysis software that will be available starting in December 2007, the problems underlying faulty VDSL lines can be studied in even greater detail. In the future, Vierling plans to further expand its line of handheld testers for xDSL and IP-based services. The VIT-V2 will begin shipping in November 2007.

Easy to use
The VIT-V2 VDSL2 tester is designed as a cost-effective and easy-to-use handheld tester. A service technician can connect the tester in place of the customer’s modem to see whether a VDSL connection is being set up properly. The technician can also connect the tester at line access points, splitters, street cabinets and main distribution frames to detect faulty home cabling, defective splitters or modems, and improperly configured DSLAM ports. Troubleshooting is quick and reliable based on a step-by-step approach. In all of these tests, the VIT-V2 is backwards-compatible with ADSL and ADSL2+.

Reading out connection parameters
The basic package shipped with the VIT-V2 includes the VIT-V2 Watch software. Once the VIT-V2 is connected to a laptop via the Ethernet port, the service technician can use the VIT-V2 Watch software to read out various connection parameters and display them graphically. Relevant parameters include the line attenuation (loss), noise margin, number of synchronization attempts, data rates in the upstream and downstream and the bit allocation.

Optional spectrum analysis software
Spectrum analysis software will be available as an option for the VIT-V2 starting in December 2007. Once the service technician connects the VIT V2 directly to a copper pair via the supplied protected measurement point (PMP) adapter, the technician can use the software to read out the spectral power density on a laptop. The spectrum analysis extends beyond the xDSL range. Colored spectrum graphs help to reveal interference in terms of the frequency and power density. “The VIT-V2 is useful for quickly recognizing deficiencies and taking suitable action”, noted Wolfgang Baschant, the product manager in charge of the VIT-V2 tester at Vierling. “The VIT-V2 can reveal common crosstalk from two Mbit/s lines at a glance, for example. This is a particularly frequent source of disruptions on DSL lines.”

One of the first suppliers worldwide
Vierling has enjoyed commercial success with its VIT DSL testers for ADSL and ADSL2+ since 2004. With the arrival of the VIT-V2 in November 2007, the company will extend its existing VIT product line to include a solution for high-speed DSL lines. “We are continuing to expand our range of DSL testers”, said Georg Herrmann, Director Product Line Measurement Solutions at Vierling. “With the VIT-V2, we are one of the first suppliers in the world to offer a handheld tester for the fastest DSL systems. In the future, we will continue to expand our product line with an emphasis on handheld testers for xDSL and IP-based services.”

Specifications:
- Dimensions: 100 x 48 x 200 mm
- Weight: approx. 650 g (with rechargeable batteries)
- Currently supports band plans 17A, 12B and 8B
- Max. download rate: 100 Mbit/s (valid for band plan 17A)
- Max. upload rate: 40 Mbit/s (valid for band plan 17A)

For graphical materials, please call +49 (0)9194-97-305 or send an e-mail to marketing@vierling.de.

Broadcom's VDSL2 Chipsets Power ZyXEL's IP DSLAM

2007-10-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

Broadcom's VDSL2 Chipsets Power ZyXEL's IP DSLAM and CPE Equipment for Chunghwa Telecom's Next Generation Network

Broadcom(R) VDSL2 Chipsets for Central Office and Customer Premises Equipment Solutions Selected by ZyXEL and Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan for Deployment in Next Generation IP Services Network

BERLIN, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadband World Forum 2007 -- Broadcom Corporation , a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its VDSL2 and StrataXGS(R) Ethernet products have been qualified and selected by Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) of Taiwan for mass deployment in its next generation IP services network. Broadcom's powerful VDSL2 chipsets were originally selected by ZyXEL Corporation for incorporation in the ZyXEL VES-1600 and IES-5005 next generation access products. As a result of this successful engagement, Broadcom and ZyXEL have teamed together to provide VDSL2 IP DSLAM and customer premises equipment (CPE) products to Chunghwa Telecom for its next generation VDSL2 access network.

The selection by CHT provides decisive market validation of the Broadcom(R) VDSL2 technology and the ongoing collaboration between Broadcom and ZyXEL to develop best-in-class, standards-based solutions for Ethernet aggregation, ITU G.992.1/3/5 ADSL1/2/2+ and ITU G.993.2 VDSL2 access markets. The Chunghwa Telecom VDSL2 award adds to Broadcom's market leading position in ADSL2+/VDSL2 and Ethernet carrier access solutions.

Broadcom silicon and software bring unparalleled, standards-based solutions to the industry, addressing all aspects of sophisticated digital subscriber line (DSL)-based services with Wi-Fi(R), VoIP, Ethernet switching, multimedia over coaxial cable (MoCA) and video enabling features including its newly released PhyR(TM) impulse noise protection technology. ZyXEL will supply customer premises equipment including VDSL2 bridges, routers, wireless gateways and VoIP-enabled integrated access devices (IADs) based on Broadcom VDSL2, 10/100 Fast Ethernet switching, 802.11b/g and VoIP chipsets. Broadcom's unique integration of key VDSL2, local area network and VoIP technologies provides an unprecedented blend of performance and accelerated time-to-market across a complete CPE product portfolio.

"In the past, we have worked together with Broadcom to win ADSL DSLAM and Gigabit Ethernet switching contracts from worldwide telecom operators," says Dr. Yuh-Long Chen, President of ZyXEL. "It's truly a pleasure for us to work with Broadcom to win the CHT VDSL2 NGN project. To date, in terms of deployment scale and product specifications, this is the largest and most complex project of its kind in the world. Based on previous successful and extensive overseas VDSL2 deployments, ZyXEL is equipped to duplicate this success in establishing CHT's NGN network and to accelerate MOD and high definition VOD applications in the market. "

"Broadcom's third major win, the NGN deployment with CHT, is an outstanding example of our success in adding industry leading VDSL2 solutions to our broadly deployed and leading ADSL2+ position," said Greg Fischer, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Carrier Access line of business. "CHT requires its vendors to meet a very high performance standard and is a showcase for advanced networks. Our performance, flexibility and competitiveness allow us to support ZyXEL in meeting the demanding requirements set forth by Chunghwa Telecom, a substantial achievement by both engineering teams to provide best-in-class solutions to our mutual customer."

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,200 U.S. and 900 foreign patents, more than 6,600 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data. Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at http://www.broadcom.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with VDSL2 chipset and StrataXGS(R) products include, but are not limited to, general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for central office and customer premise equipment applications; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the ability of our customers, to manage inventory; the gain or loss of a key customer, design win or order; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our existing products and services or demand for new products requested by our customers; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a cost-effective and timely manner; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; changes in our product or customer mix; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; our ability to timely and accurately predict market requirements and evolving industry standards and to identify opportunities in new markets; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; our ability to retain, recruit and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the positions and numbers, with the experience and capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations; competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry, assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.

Broadcom(R), the pulse logo, Connecting everything(R), the Connecting everything logo, StrataXGS(R) and PhyR(TM) are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Wi-Fi(R) is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners

Ericsson Deploys Broadcom VDSL2 Technology for EDA Broadband Access Products

2007-10-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

Ericsson Deploys Broadcom VDSL2 Technology for EDA Broadband Access Products
By Niladri Sekhar Nath
TMCnet Contributing Editor

Ericsson has integrated interoperable VDSL2 chipset from Broadcom (News - Alert) Corporation into its EDA Broadband Access product line. Thus, Ericsson aims to be among one of the first companies to introduce standards-based VDSL2 to help its customers introduce advanced triple-play services such as IPTV.

Broadcom's powerful BladeRunner DSL chipset offers an extensive range of capabilities that offer improved user experience for subscribers of telecommunications triple-play services. Ericsson's (News - Alert) EDA VDSL2 (very-high-bit-rate DSL) platform is based on that technology and can offer access speeds of up to 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) over existing copper networks facilitating simplified network structure and better cost-efficiency for operators.

By integrating Broadcom's technology, Ericsson has become one of the leading suppliers in the IP DSLAM market with solutions deployed globally in over 100 networks to date.

"Ericsson's adoption of our BladeRunner chipset is a strong validation of Broadcom's leadership in ADSL2+/VDSL2 and FTTx markets," said Greg Fischer, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Carrier Access line of business. "Ericsson's customers can now accelerate mass deployment of triple- play services as a result of the flexibility of our ADSL2+ and VDSL2 solutions. These solutions will enable all types of deployments through deep fiber solutions, allowing Ericsson's customers to look forward to new IP services with improved performance and reduced service provisioning complexity and scalability issues."

Broadcom develops a range of broadband communications and consumer electronics system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions that enable voice, video and data services over residential wired and wireless networks. The solutions comprise video enabling features including its newly released PhyR impulse noise protection technology, and the existing seamless rate adaptation (SRA) and enhanced power and performance including firmware capabilities to optimize power, reach and spectral flexibility for all FTTx deployments.