Nokia enters passive optical LAN market

Nokia has decided to enter the passive optical LAN (POL) market. POL uses the same principles as PONs in fiber to the home (FTTH) networks, adopted for the needs of enterprise networks that demand high bandwidth connectivity (see "Technology and business drivers for passive optical LANs").

As is the case with most, if not all, POL technology vendors, Nokia's approach leverages GPON. Similarly, the company touts the approach's superiority to copper-based LANs in terms of bandwidth delivery, energy efficiency, security, and space savings. Nokia says POLs, on average, require 50% less space to deploy and power to operate versus traditional Ethernet-based LANs.

The POL portfolio includes Nokia's 7360 ISAM FX fiber platform/optical line terminal (OLT), 7368 ISAM ONT fiber termination points, and 5571 POL command center (PCC) management system.

Nokia believes POL will approve attractive to major network operators, enterprises, governments, healthcare and hospitality providers, and higher education institutions. Nokia says it already has partnered with Japanese systems integrator KDDI to deploy a POL within the hospitality industry. The company says it will partner with other systems integrators, including IBM, to deliver the systems to market.

The company will compete with such systems houses as Tellabs and Zhone for market share.

"We've seen interest in POL increase dramatically over the past few years as enterprises around the world have come to realize the substantial service delivery and operational efficiency advantages that POL architectures provide over Ethernet-based LANs," stated Erik Keith, principal analyst for Broadband Networks and Multiplay Services at market research and analysis firm Current Analysis, via a Nokia press release. "We expect to see accelerated momentum in the POL space as Nokia and other major vendors enter the market and provide compelling, future-proof alternatives to the existing Ethernet LAN model."

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