OEN launches FTTH IPTV services, taps Alloptic GEPON

October 5, 2005 Las Vegas, NV -- Optical Entertainment Network (OEN) has announced plans to deploy FTTH services to over 1,600,000 households in Houston, Texas. The company - in partnership with European and North American vendors, including Alloptic, a provider of Gigabit Ethernet passive optical network (GEPON) platforms - plans to launch its U.S. service offering in December 2005, with European operations set to start in Q2 of 2006.

The company says it has designed one of the first major market, integrated IPTV services for providing video, 10/100-Mbit/sec Internet, voice, video-on-demand (VOD), and other broadband applications including home security, videoconferencing, and telemedicine.
All services are integrated into an IP (Internet Protocol) architecture designed specifically for Gigabit Ethernet FTTH systems. The company is a platinum member of the FTTH Council.

The company says it has acquired programming agreements for IPTV distribution from top programming television networks, and will provide subscribers with over 400 television channels, including more than 50 channels of high definition television (HDTV). In addition, the company says it will offer video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, pay-per-view specials and events , and original HDTV programming created by OEN Studios, the company's television production arm.

In conjunction with the deployment, OEN also introduced its FISION service brand for delivering the converged video, Internet, and voice services at a minimum symmetrical speed of 10 Mbit/sec per subscriber, according to the company. FISION will also provide IP Voice services including local and long distance phone services.

"FTTH makes OEN unique among entertainment service providers," comments Tom Wendt, President and CEO of OEN. "The marriage of FTTH and OEN's fiber technology allows our service to have the largest programming lineup of any multi-channel video provider in North America."

The company's first deployment partner is Houston's Phonoscope, owner of a large, privately-held metro fiber network that reaches 200,000 household easements, and which is located within 100 to 500 yards of approximately 1.6 million households in that city's 6 county areas. OEN says it expects to serve live subscribers from the first day of the deployment.

"OEN has assembled the best partners in the industry for this venture, including key industry leaders in FTTH construction, engineering services, technology, and in investment banking," continues Wendt. "And we've been successful in marrying this infrastructure with the premier entertainment companies of the world."

For its North American IP video roll-out, OEN selected Alloptic's GEPON access platform.

"We selected Alloptic for their superior gigabit PON technology and industry-leading experience in providing IP video services around the world," comments Allen Easty, CTO of OEN. "Alloptic is the first PON vendor that we found that has the ability stand up to the rigorous demands of IP video and IP HDTV, in particular. We needed a reliable partner with proven technology. For OEN, Alloptic is the logical choice. Working together, we will deliver state-of-the-art IP services to the 1 million residents of Houston, the nation's 10th largest television market."

"OEN, like other IP video service providers around the world, understands that an Ethernet-based access network is the best solution for providing IP services, whether it's Internet access or IP HDTV," adds Mike Serrano, director of marketing for Alloptic. "Ethernet is the transport protocol of IP. Additional protocol conversion or encapsulation is unnecessary, expensive, and adds unneeded complexity to a network."