2 June 2003 Rohnert Park, CA, and Minneapolis, MN Lightwave -- Next Level Communications and Optical Solutions have announced an integrated, standards-based, end-to-end DSL and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) solution that will be available in late 2003.
According to the companies, their partnership will provide telcos with a unique value proposition: The ability to utilize a single end-to-end platform to provide any combination of television, voice, and data services in any deployment scenario, from Fiber-to-the-Node (FTTN), to Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC), to FTTH. As telcos continue to expand services and move fiber closer and closer to the end user, the Next Level Full Service Access Platform will provide a common platform and management system to support the full array of network topologies without stranding equipment investment or tampering with the customer experience. Thus, telcos with plans to someday expand into FTTH now have both a convenient and cost-effective migration strategy from copper to fiber--as well as a total FTTH strategy for greenfield, overbuild, or network refurbishment applications.
"Big telcos see FTTH as the ultimate means to deliver all the services and bandwidth to the home that their customer could ever want, but are reluctant to bear the high costs, operational and implementation headaches and real world challenges of integrating this technology with the existing elements in their networks," explains Bruce Swail, president of Next Level Communications. "With the integration of FTTH technology into the Next Level Full Service Access Platform, integration issues virtually disappear, and costs will be minimized. Telcos will now be able to deploy one platform featuring common access equipment, management systems, provisioning, and CPE equipment to support any service in any deployment scenario. By allowing the platform to adapt to the needs of the telco, we're making technology islands, forklift upgrades and messy migrations a thing of the past, and making the telco's life a lot easier in the process."
"Our respective telephone company customers and prospects, both large and small, challenged us to develop an integrated solution that would enable them to cost-effectively leverage their current copper infrastructure investments while providing access to FTTH technology," adds Darryl Ponder, chief executive officer at Optical Solutions. "We are truly excited to partner with Next Level to be able to deliver this world class broadband access solution to the marketplace, which allows telcos to easily upgrade current copper infrastructures or invest in fiber optic technology."
The enhanced Next Level Full Service Access Platform supports video services (switched digital video or analog) and an array of business and residential voice and high-speed data services.
"Providing one platform capable of supporting services from DLC to FTTH is extremely important to big telcos because of the complexity of supporting and maintaining different types of equipment in their networks," asserts Matt Davis, director of broadband access technologies for The Yankee Group. "One platform creates efficiencies in training, management, and provisioning, and allows them to leverage their investments as they migrate their networks to be more and more fiber-centric. This progressive new approach allows carriers to begin improving their infrastructures today without waiting for a business plan to justify a total infrastructure rebuild."
Next Level will be demonstrating its Full Service Access Platform June 3-5 at the SuperComm conference in Atlanta, in Hall B3, booth 21861.