13 August 2003 Dallas, TX Lightwave -- Alcatel has announced the addition of the 7340 FTTU Business Optical Network Termination (B-ONT) family to its Fiber-to-the-User (FTTU) portfolio. The Alcatel 7340 B-ONT provides advanced video, voice, and data (triple-play) services through optical fiber networks to small- and medium-sized business (SMB) customers at one of the lowest costs on the market, say company representatives.
Alcatel also contends its B-ONT is the only product family that is fully compliant with the Broadband Passive Optical Network (BPON) standards that best address next-generation access requirements and the business services requirements of the ongoing Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) initiatives.
"The release of the standards-based B-ONT indicates the industry's commitment to PON enabling triple-play solutions to both residential and business users," explains Bettina Tratz-Ryan, principal analyst of Gartner. "According to Gartner research, Alcatel is the market leader for its DLC, Integrated Multiservice Access platform (IMAP) and DSL solutions and would be able to leverage key aspects of these technologies that could result in faster time to market and lower cost of operations for customers deploying fiber."
Located at the customer end of the network, the ONT is the unit that interconnects various customer-owned devices (such as telephones, PCs, TVs, etc.) to a network operator's optical fiber network. The B-ONT complements the Home ONT (H-ONT) products, enabling operators to serve both residential and business customers from the same PON. The B-ONT family consists of multiple models of ONTs offering different customer interface combinations so operators can deploy the model that best fits a particular customer need. These interfaces include voice (telephony), data services via Ethernet or DS-1 interfaces, and an integrated video interface to deliver video services as well.
For more information on Alcatel's FTTU portfolio, visit www.alcatel.com/fttu.