Teleste supplies RFoG equipment for French FTTH network

Broadband and video specialist Teleste Corp. says it has been chosen to supply fiber-optic broadband equipment based on RF over glass (RFoG) technology to the Syndicat Intercommunal d'Energie et de E-communication de l'Ain (SIEA), a public body that manages energy and e-communication for the 419 municipalities included in the French eastern region of Ain.

Teleste has won the first phase in SIEA’s public tender by SIEA to bring high-speed data connections to parts of the department of Ain that have little or no access to high-speed internet. The aim is to build a public broadband network that covers more than 90% of homes and businesses in the region by 2014. The project is called Li@in (Liaison Internet de l'Ain).

During 2013, Teleste will deliver RFoG optical access network equipment to serve a potential customer base of 45,000 subscribers. The value of the first phase deployment is approximately €2 million; the contract includes an option to continue equipment deliveries during Phase 2. The estimated value of the second phase deliveries is €1.5 million, subject to confirmation by the end of 2013.

Teleste says the deployment represents one of the first significant RFoG installations in Europe. The resulting fiber-optic network will provide DOCSIS-based services to customers over a classic FTTH network. In this approach, the coaxial portion of the hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network is replaced by a single-fiber passive optical network (PON).

RFoG technology opens up new business opportunities for operators, especially in areas where coax networks are not available, the vendor says. With the RFoG technology, operators are able to increase network capacity in a cost-efficient way, using their existing provisioning and billing systems, as well as the traditional HFC network equipment.

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