MAY 11, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- Hitachi Communication Technologies America Inc. (HCTA) announced today at The Cable Show in Los Angeles that 10GEPON line cards and ONUs for both its standard EPON and its DOCSIS-friendly DePON Salira product lines are available for FTTP lab and field trials.
According to Jeff Stribling, vice president of marketing and customer support at HCTA, the company has decided to offer symmetrical 10-Gbps transmission right off the bat based on customer feedback that indicated that most initial applications will target business customers. While the new capabilities are fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3av 10GEPON standard, Stribling says that HCTA has added features that extend performance beyond what one might expect from the standard’s specifications. This includes an expanded optical budget that, for example, would support 128 splits or extended reach.
The company also has incorporated features found in Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) certified Carrier Ethernet equipment as well as enhanced operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) capabilities, both of which target the aforementioned business applications.
Compatibility with DOCSIS, of course, is also not in the IEEE 802.3av 10GEPON standard. Stribling expects this version to prove most popular in the United States. Meanwhile, Hitachi will make the 10GEPON capabilities available to customers around the world through its various regional subsidiaries, Stribling says.
HCTA does not yet have any customer trials lined up, as the equipment has not yet completed full certification, Stribling reveals. However, he expects the new capabilities to become generally available by the end of the year. The company is also developing versions of the technology compatible with its MW-PON multi-wavelength platform.
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