JUNE 19, 2007 -- UTStarcom, Inc. (search for UTStarcom), a supplier of IP-based, end-to-end networking products and services, has announced a contract to deploy its Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON) platform with TvTel, an integrated multimedia service provider, for the operator's new FTTH network in Portugal. Unitelco, a local technology company in Portugal with expertise in deploying fiber and access networks, is serving as the integrator for the contract.
Paulo Pereira, executive director of TvTel, says that UTStarcom's GEPON offerings "will serve as the foundation of our new fiber network" and will assist the provider in delivering its bundled service package of high-speed data, voice, and both analog and digital QAM television to subscribers in Portugal. The package is initially targeted at 5,000 subscribers in Oeiras, a city west of Lisbon.
UTStarcom's IEEE standards-compliant GEPON product family includes a BBS1000 optical line termination system (OLT) for deployment at the central office (CO) as well as a variety of optical network units (ONUs) for deployment at the customer's premises. The OLT provides a direct optical interface to the IP core, and the ONU terminates the PON at the customer's premises. Together, the two units complete the end-to-end optical last mile, providing up to 1 Gbit/sec of bandwidth to residential and business customers.
Youssef Kassissia, vice president of sales in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for UTStarcom, notes that "GEPON is an extremely cost-effective alternative to conventional copper-based access equipment while reducing points of failure and simplifying carriers' network architecture."
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