June 24, 2004 Chicago, IL -- At SuperComm this week, UTStarcom Inc. and Passavé announced a partnership to develop Ethernet passive optical networking (EPON) equipment for fiber-based access networks worldwide. With the joint EPON solution, UTStarcom and Passavé will enable service providers to offer FTTH broadband access at Gigabit Ethernet rates--equal to 1,000 times the speed of DSL or cable modems, say company representatives.
Through their partnership, Passavé will supply UTStarcom with advanced chips for next-generation optical access platforms, central office (CO) systems, and customer premise equipment (CPE).
"Passavé is a recognized innovator in standards-compliant EPON silicon," contends Tim Ti, technical manager of EPON solutions for UTStarcom. "Working together, UTStarcom and Passavé can help service providers build affordable EPON standards-based FTTH systems that will redefine the triple play of broadband voice, data, and video services."
The new IEEE802.3ah standard for EPON is expected to be ratified in July 2004, and volume deployments of FTTH and Fiber-to-the-Building (FTTB) networks based on this standard are expected to start later this year.
