Ericsson supplies GPON gear to China Unicom

JANUARY 27, 2011 -- China Unicom has selected Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) to supply its EDA 1500 gigabit passive optical network (GPON) equipment for infrastructure in more than 10 provinces across China. The contract marks China Unicom's first large-scale deployment of GPON technology.

China Unicom will use the GPON gear to roll out fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) across the country. Deployment has already begun.

Mats H. Olsson, head of Ericsson Region China & North East Asia, says, "This is a milestone in the globalization of GPON -- the new path China Unicom has taken reaffirms the potential of GPON in China and around the world."

An increasing interest in FTTH to complement initial FTTB deployments across China is expected to increase the use of GPON technology around the country, say observers (see “Huawei sources: FTTH efforts drive greater GPON interest in China”).

Ericsson says it currently is providing GPON to all three of China's telecom operators as well as some cable-TV operators.

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