FTTH and FTTB Network Architectures – a Little History

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214-120_MDU_7.875x10.75.indd 1 3/20/09 3:04:51 PM More U.S. service providers deploy Calix FTTP solutions...

264 Enablence/Pannaway 43 Occam Networks 26 Alloptic 13 Motorola 12 Allied Telesis 9 Alcatel-Lucent 8 Zhone 5 Ericsson 4 Hitachi 3 Tellabs 3 Adtran 2 PacketFront 1 Telco Systems 1 Ciena 1 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 (Broadband Properties, March 2009) ...than all other vendors combined. Why? Innovation: A portfolio of practical solutions. Experience: The leader in FTTP deployments. Service: Unrivalled customer advocacy and support. president’s letter At a Pivotal Moment, Digital Momentum

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Scott DeGarmo Stay tuned-in to BBP Online for

PUBLISHER Nancy McCain hot new stuff [email protected] EDITOR IN CHIEF ur Summit makes April a pivotal What’s different about the way they are Steven S. Ross [email protected] month for us, so here’s a look presented? Well, first a little background

Deputy Editor ahead. Our robust print prod- on the features themselves. At last year’s Masha Zager O uct is a statement of our commitment to Summit, we saw strong interest from ADVERTISING SALES Irene G. Prescott excellence. In the year to come, we will those involved in municipal deployments [email protected] enhance the value of our print magazine for anatomies of individual projects as DESIGN & PRODUCTION and also expand our digital publication well as an ongoing compilation of com- Karry Thomas and other online offerings. parable information on different projects. COLUMNISTS Joe Bousquin We’ve built a strong base for expansion We also saw a similar need for focused Bill Burhop, IMCC profiles of real estate deployments. Orrin Charm, InfiniSys into the digital realm. Subscriptions to Amy Cravens, Cahners In-Stat. our digital issue are growing daily. Quali- Now, what’s subtly different about Larry Kessler, InteliCable these two features is that they are also W. James MacNaughton, Esq. fied U.S. subscribers can receive for free Dave McClure, USIIA the print issue, the digital issue, or both. provided in HTML format on our Web Bryan Rader, MediaWorks International subscribers get the digital site about the time we go to press with Jimmy Schaffler, The Carmel Group Robert L. Vogelsang, Broadband Properties Magazine issue for free. International coverage is the magazine, so they are not merely a key part of our franchise. That’s obvi- magazine pieces converted to an online Broadband Properties LLC ously true in this issue, from Tasmania to format, but articles getting expressed in PRESIDENT & CEO Scott DeGarmo the futuristic city-state that is putting in both media simultaneously. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT 1 Gbps for all residences. (Puzzled? Read These features and others we’ll be do- CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Himi Kittner the issue carefully – or, do a quick search ing create opportunities for providing VICE PRESIDENT, in our digital publication.) information where both qualitative and BUSINESS & OPERATIONS Nancy McCain This issue contains our third annual quantitative content can be presented in ways that enable easy comparisons. Our Audience Development/Digital Strategies FTTH Primer, sponsored by the FTTH Norman E. Dolph Council, and also available on our Web programmers and designers are working CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD on how best to serve up this information Robert L. Vogelsang site, along with a Spanish version and so that you will be able to look over a VICE CHAIRMAN an English-language European version. The Hon. Hilda Gay Legg Both are available by clicking the BBP year’s worth of articles and quickly ex- BUSINESS & EDITORIAL OFFICE tract the information you want. Broadband Properties LLC Online link on www.bbpmag.com. 1909 Avenue G Unlike traditional news stories, which Rosenberg, Tx 77471 On BBP Online, you’ll find each is- 281.342.9655, Fax 281.342.1158 sue of the past year in a clickable, digital diminish in value as time goes by, this ap- WWW.BROADBANDPROPERTIES.COM version. You can search the issues indi- proach will create a cumulative effect that vidually or do a global search of all the will provide you with more value. For the issues together. You can click on the links Property and Municipal features, you’ll throughout the editorial and advertising be able to compare the size of teams used in different deployments, or the miles of pages and easily e-mail links to individ- fiber, or the business models and part- ual pages or to the entire issue. nerships employed – and of course, the All stories in each issue are accessible Broadband Properties (ISSN 0745-8711) (USPS 679- products and vendors chosen. 050) (Publication Mail Agreement #1271091) is published in at least three ways in addition to the You’ll also currently find on BBP On- 11 times a year at a rate of $24 per year by Broadband print product: They are on our home Properties LLC, 1909 Avenue G, Rosenberg, TX 77471. line our interactive database of FTTH page, where they are posted in PDF form Periodical postage paid at Rosenberg, TX, and additional deployments, a feature we’ll be expand- mailing offices. both as individual stories and as the com- POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Broadband ing in the weeks ahead with charts, plete issue, and they are in the digital is- Properties, PO Box 303, Congers, NY 10920-9852. graphs and tables linked to the data so CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. sue on BBP Online. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, PO they update themselves in real time. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Copyright ©2005 Two features launched in the last year Broadband Properties LLC. All rights reserved. are leading indicators of our future evolution: the Property of the Month and the Municipal FTTH Deployment Snapshot. www.bbpmag.com

2 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 FTTx Made Easy

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DEPARTMENTS COVER STORY President’s Letter. . . . . 2 Calendar ...... 96 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME PRIMER: Editor’s Note ...... 6 Advertiser Index . . . . . 96 Advantages of Optical Access | 33 News & Views ...... 90 The third annual edition of the Fiber-to-the-Home Primer, produced in association with the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, is a IN THIS ISSUE comprehensive guide to FTTH for builders, developers, municipal officials and other nonspecialists. This edition has been Provider Perspective updated for 2009 to reflect the latest deployment statistics and Another Way to Look at Facebook | 8 advances in technology. By Bryan J. Rader ■ Bandwidth Consulting LLC Social networking isn’t just for 20-somethings. It’s a great way to stay in touch with your clients – and get to know potential new clients. Fiber Deployment Roundup Thinking Big | 10 New Applications on Display in Paris | 30 By Masha Zager ■ Broadband Properties By John Schultz ■ U-reka Broadband Ventures In a surprise announcement, the Australian government scrapped Network operators are working with enterprises to provide tele- its fiber-to-the-node plan for a 100 Mbps fiber-to-the-home network work, smart grid and health care applications. that will reach nearly everyone in the country. Why We Need More Fiber Gaming in the Cloud, Internet TV… and More | 18 BUYERS GUIDE New devices and applications coming to market assume the avail- Hot Products for 2009 | 66 ability of fast, reliable broadband connections. A guide to the broadband products and services you’ll be seeing this spring. Many of them are on display at the Broadband First Mile Properties Summit. Strong Growth for FTTH | 20 Worldwide sales of PON equipment are still growing briskly, and a new study forecasts a tripling of FTTx subscribers by 2013. TECHNOLOGY Municipal FTTH Deployment Snapshot Passive Optical Design for RFOG and Beyond | 78 ■ Gainesville Regional Utilities – By Mark Conner Corning Cable Systems Gainesville, Florida | 22 Cable companies can save operating expenses by building FTTP networks that use their existing equipment and back-office systems. But Gainesville’s municipal utility was fiber-wiring businesses before any- they should design the networks to allow later upgrades to PON. one had heard of fiber to the premises. Today, the company is bringing fiber to MDUs and new housing developments as well. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Property of the Month Broadband Fiber Networks: Trump Plaza Jersey City | 24 The 21st-Century Crossroads | 82 By Joe Bousquin ■ Contributing Editor, Broadband Properties By Graham Richard ■ Graham Richard Associates LLC Everything about the newest Trump-branded apartment building States that want to attract and retain businesses need to encourage had to be top-notch – including the bulk video and Internet services. establishment of local fiber networks – and a fiber backbone to con- Find out how private cable operator BroadStar earned the Trump seal nect them. of approval. Planned Community, ABOUT Planned Communications Infrastructure | 85 THE COVER By Stephen Mayo ■ Inteleconnect Inc. In the new town of Anson, Indiana, multiple service providers can Manhattan artist Irving Grun- deliver advanced services to residents and businesses over a common baum thinks FTTH is the Next infrastructure. Big Thing – as if it isn’t already the big thing. INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE “Broadband Access is Vital for Economic Growth and Social Coherence” | 88 A Danish government minister welcomes the 2009 FTTH Europe Conference to Copenhagen and shares his insights about why broadband is critical for sustainability, economic development and social inclusiveness.

4 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009

editor’s note Good News for Fiber Down Under – and Here By Steven S. Ross ■ Editor-in-Chief

s of the end of March, more than network that would support fiber-borne (as early as May). Fairly detailed plans 15 million US homes had been bandwidth. already exist for the backbone and for Apassed by fiber, and almost 4.5 The bad news is that the proposed the Tasmania section’s local networks. million households had signed up. Some rules, due in a few weeks and expected The economics involve a quantum of the data is in our latest FTTH Primer to be in final form in June, are almost leap of faith. There will be an Australian in this issue. The data will be discussed certain to be challenged in court by “National Broadband Corporation” to at length at our Broadband Summit companies who believe their ox will be build the network and run it as an open- April 27-29, and the full story will be in gored by the competition. While we access utility – just as localities build our May issue. But for now, consider that have no doubt that some grant applica- roads. Telstra, the major incumbent that while the pace of fiber installs has slowed, tions will create unfair competition (and has been investing in HFC and FTTN, the growth is still substantial – 52 per- thus should be rejected), we worry about will be able to get onto the road, but so cent more customers year-over-year and knee-jerk suits by incumbents designed will Optus and other competitors. This 17 percent in the last six months. to simply delay the inevitable. There is both good and bad for Telstra. It has The slowing comes about because have been many examples of such suits had trouble justifying the capital cost the greenfield sector has essentially dis- in the past five years. of advanced infrastructure in this vast, appeared, and new entrants to the field Although we are fans of local regula- underpopulated country. But it will – mainly municipalities and small telcos tion, we’re also nervous about the dead now have to compete on content for the that had been planning to build or ex- hand of state governments, so often con- first time. tend fiber networks – are having trouble trolled by incumbents for the exclusion The Australian government is jus- raising the money to do so. of others. tifying the cost in part for its direct The automakers, newspaper industry, stimulus effect and in part by the value housing and just about any other sector AUSTRALIA RAISES THE BAR of telemedicine, tele-learning, a smart we can think of outside of Hollywood Think $7.2 billion is too much? How electrical grid, and the opportunity to should be so lucky. about $31 billion? (That’s in US dollars; compete more fiercely worldwide. In The good news is that the $7.2 bil- it’s $43 billion Australian.) That’s what fact, there’s talk in Australia that tele- lion promised in the stimulus package Australia has just committed to spend medicine alone can generate a quarter of seems well on its way. So far, the process on broadband – and 90 percent of it will the network’s revenues. That seems un- has been a model of speed and openness. be 100 Mbps FTTH. (Read about that, likely. But there will be other revenues Through a month-long mad dash of pub- and about Singapore’s commitment to to fill the void. lic hearings that attracted about 1,400 1 Gbps fiber, in this issue’s Deployment An existing Tasmanian State Gov- questions and formal comments (see section, starting on page 10.) ernment broadband initiative already is www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/ It is by far Australia’s biggest single encouraging regional governments and comments.cfm), the Commerce Depart- commitment to public infrastructure. companies, hospitals, and educational ment’s National Telecommunications And it is, by far, the world’s largest institutions to use the network that has and Information Administration, the single FTTH build – even larger in cost been envisioned there. Agriculture Department’s Rural Utili- than Verizon’s and NTT’s. And those In the US, the Obama Administra- ties Service, and the FCC kept their eyes two companies lead the world in private tion has made no secret of its view that glued to the final goal – defining areas, capital expenditures. the $7.2 billion in the current stimulus project types and grantees that would be Australia is a rural nation; on aver- package is a downpayment on bigger eligible for funding. It is hard to believe age just 7 people per square mile. But things to come. Maybe. But Australia that the stimulus bill passed so recently, 90 percent of the premises are in town has clearly raised the bar. on February 13! settings where fiber can be justified There’s more good news for FTTH given current economics. The rest of the advocates: Public officials have barely country will have to settle for 12 Mbps disguised their preference for fiber to point-to-point wireless. The backbone the home, and for “middle mile” proj- will be disproportionately expensive, ects such as connections to the national and construction on it will begin shortly [email protected]

6 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Win with Hitachi: the right equipment, speed . . . and no crashes.

No other vendor offers the range of optical access products that Hitachi does. From GPON to RFoG, we have your solution for FTTP. Our products are designed to Tier 1 service provider reliability standards, giving your network the maximum up time available. Our products are reliable, and so is the company. We are wholly owned and backed by Hitachi, Ltd., one of the world’s premier technology companies. With revenues of $112.2 billion (Year ended March 31, 2008), and 390,000 employees worldwide, Hitachi offers a level of nancial stability that no competitor can match.

Contact Hitachi now to keep your network up and winning for years to come.

Hitachi Communication Technologies America, Inc. 3617 Parkway Lane Norcross, GA 30092 770-797-2521 www.hitachi-cta.com provider perspective Another Way to Look at Facebook The Facebook social networking model is already working for many businesses . Perhaps it can work for private cable operators as well . We can set up our own site, or … use Facebook itself!

By Bryan Rader ■ Bandwidth Consulting LLC

have finally joined the Facebook craze! cable operators as a great social network- prospective clients who enjoy doing busi- Everybody you meet these days seems ing tool. Better yet, it could be a business with non-franchise cable operators. Ito be joining Facebook, the largest ness development tool. Each PCO could One of the great features of Face- social networking site with about 200 build its own personal company profile, book is that it sends you people that it million active users – and about a mil- complete with status updates and key thinks you might know. This is based on lion new ones added every day. It’s a great information. Many companies, even lo- your school, graduation year, or place of way to reconnect with old friends, stay in cal retailers, have been doing just that. employment. It really helps users grow touch with current ones and share per- True, they have found that Facebook their personal network. sonal thoughts, pictures and messages. works well for communicating with end And this concept would also help Mark Zuckerberg founded Face- users. But some use it for business-to- PCOs grow their Friends network. It book in 2004 while he was a student at business networking as well. might look for predictive features such Harvard. He initially envisioned it to Here’s how it might work: as markets served, products offered, or be a social networking tool for Harvard PCOs would set up a Profile page on common friends. What a great way to students, but it quickly expanded to PCO Facebook that includes key per- get introduced to more prospective real other East Coast colleges, then Stanford sonal data such as Networks (what mar- estate clients! and other schools, and was eventually kets you serve), Schools (what products Facebook allows you to provide sta- opened to anyone with an e-mail ad- you offer), andRelationship Status (what tus updates on your profile each day too. dress in 2006. your strategy for growth is, what mar- PCOs could do this as well. We might According to comScore, Facebook kets you are entering or exiting). Then be able to send a status update to all of had 132 million unique visitors in June you would become a registered user. our Friends (actually clients and pros- 2008, surpassing MySpace significantly, Each PCO could load all sorts of pects) that “we just launched a property and is 7th in terms of worldwide traffic. pictures on its Profile page. Rather than with a new digital voice provider” or “we So, what’s the appeal? funny party pics from Aunt Mary’s wed- have expanded into Texas.” This allows When new users register, they can ding, PCOs would include pictures of everyone to be updated immediately on upload pictures of themselves, includ- every property they serve across their what you are doing. And it’s better than ing family, friends and even pets. They portfolio. Just as Facebook users scroll a press release! include information about the schools through their friends’ sites to view fam- There is also a space on every Face- they attended (high school and college), ily photos, we would do the same to book user’s page that allows Friends to graduation year, birthday, and relation- see the types of properties each PCO post messages on their Wall for users to ship status. And once you register, people serves. (And of course, we would “tag” see. I love this idea for PCOs. We can from your past and present start to find each photo so we know what market the use the Wall to receive testimonials from you, sending you electronic requests to property is in.) our real estate clients about their experi- be added as your “Friend.” Each PCO would then build a net- ence with our company and our service. Over time, you will have a long list work of Friends, just as they do on Face- How exciting! BBP of Friends, with access to all of their book. Except in this case, the objective photos and information on their Profile would be to reconnect with new and old page. You will be more connected than property owner clients across the coun- About the Author ever with updates about their lives. Many try. This way, PCOs could build their Bryan J. Rader, former CEO of Media- people say Facebook can be addicting, own databases of property owners, and Works before selling the company in 2006, and that you can spend a couple of hours periodically provide them with impor- has recently founded a new firm, Band- a night reconnecting with your friends. tant updates about their company. width Consulting LLC, to advise operators Sure, one of the challenges of Face- and providers in the MDU market seg- PCO-Book book is that you can see everyone else’s ment. Contact Bryan at bryanjrader@ There is so much to like about Facebook. Friends network. But this could only help yahoo.com or at 636-536-0011. Learn I even think it could be used by private PCOs expand their opportunities with more at www.bandwidthconsultingllc.com.

8 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Draka BendBright-XS® Value Innovation For Real World Situations

2002 - BendBright, Draka’s first generation bend-insensitive fiber, is introduced.

2005 - Draka is first manufacturer to make bend-insensitive fiber standard in all Drop cables.

2006 - BendBright-XS, Draka’s 2nd generation bend-insensitve fiber is introduced with one hundred times bending performance improvement over standard singlemode.

2007 - ColorLock-XS® brought ten times better micro-bending performance on all fibers including BendBright-XS.

2008 - BendBright-XS available in all OSP and MDU cables.

Today - Draka has sold over One Billion Feet of BendBright-XS into access projects all over the world!

Draka Communications - Americas www.drakaamericas.com I N N O V A T I O N ThinkingThinking BigBig Is universal fiber broadband unrealistic? Don’t tell that to the government of Singapore, which is busy deploying it . Of course, the US is more spread out…but not in comparison with Australia, which has decided to fiber-wire 90 percent of the country’s premises – a major part of its stimulus package .

By Masha Zager ■ Broadband Properties

he biggest news this month is that the idea of universal But that excuse doesn’t hold up when we look at Aus- fiber to the home seems to be capturing imaginations tralia, which is one of the least densely populated places Tacross the globe. Andorra, which we wrote about in on earth, with only seven inhabitants per square mile. The February (and will feature next month), has been joined by Australian government issued an RFP last year for a next- Singapore, whose next-generation broadband network had generation network that would deliver 12 Mbps service na- suffered delays but is now back on track. In fact, now that tionwide, and it received five bids, two of them for regional contracts have been awarded to a fiber deployer and an op- networks. This month the prime minister agreed with an erating company, it looks like universal fiber will be avail- expert panel that concluded none of the bids “offered value able there early in 2013, two years ahead of schedule. That’s for money for Australian taxpayers.” 1 Gbps to every premises in the country, powered by active Stunningly, the government canceled the RFP and de- Ethernet and GPON, along with high-speed wireless for cided instead to build out 100 Mbps FTTP to 90 percent of public transportation and other non-premises applications. the country’s premises – every town with over 1,000 inhabit- The chair of Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority ants – in a public/private partnership. The other 10 percent calls the planned network “a strategic enabler that will posi- will have to make do with 12 Mbps service over advanced tion Singapore well for the future.” We agree! wireless networks. The government will invest money up Of course (we can imagine status quo apologists saying), front, but expects to get much of it, or maybe all of it, back Singapore is a small and densely populated country, a city- when it sells its share after the network becomes operational. state really – nothing at all like the United States. And it’s true, Australia’s FTTP project is at once a visionary bid to cre- Singapore is the most densely populated country in the world, ate infrastructure for the future and a massive public-works unless you count Monaco, which is basically a small town. De- program to help lift the country out of the recession. ployment is a lot easier when you have 18,000 inhabitants per Let’s hope our own policy makers are paying attention. square mile. – MZ

INDEPENDENT TELCOS SureWest Launches User-Generated TV ustomers can now program their one, even non-SureWest customers, can file online, and the content is also added own TV channel at SureWest upload high-resolution video content up to SureWest’s On Demand video library. CCommunications, one of the to 100 MB in size through the i2TV Web SureWest is the first provider to launch largest FTTH providers in the US. site and watch it on SureWest’s channel TellyTopia’s service, which is going live The company announced the launch of 702. The upload process will be famil- first in Sacramento and later in the Kan- i2TV, an interactive video content net- iar to YouTube users, but the content is sas City market. work created by TellyTopia. viewed on a TV. Videos are available to Peter Drozdoff, SureWest’s vice With the TellyTopia technology any- watch within 24 hours of uploading the president of marketing, says, “This new

10 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 channel allows people to become a part of their TV by creat- in the city take that for granted.” Hendrickson is hoping the ing their own content. The possibilities are limitless.” SureWest project will serve as a stimulus to the local economy. “Internet will soon announce a new local sports program on i2TV – the connectivity is essential these days,” he says. “We have a lot of only program in the Sacramento region to provide highlights work-from-home moms and home businesses in the area, and of high school sports. they need the bandwidth.” The project began in the original In a triple play for Occam Networks, Ballard Telephone, Wiggins exchange; the next phase will be in nearby Hoyt. Peoples Rural Telephone and Nex-Tech have all recently pur- Broadweave Networks, the Utah-based CLEC that bought chased and deployed its GPON solutions. the municipal fiber-to-the-home network in Provo in 2008, an- Ballard Telephone, a Kentucky cooperative, deployed Oc- nounced that it had reached agreement to acquire the Provo cam’s Broadband Loop Carrier, GPON Optical Line Terminal customer base of Nuvont Communications, one of the provid- and GPON Triple Play Gateway Optical Network Terminals. ers offering services on the (formerly) open-access network. The Ballard is replacing existing plant with fiber, starting with its acquisition will give Nuvont customers a single network pro- headquarters town of LaCenter, in order to offer traditional vider for all services and enhance their video and data options. and entertainment services including IP video on demand. The acquisition also increases the Broadweave customer base “We contacted neighboring telcos and they were all using Oc- by more than 10 percent and completes the integration of all cam with great success,” says Harlan Parker, general manager wholesale and retail services for residential customers in Provo. at Ballard. “The flexibility and ease of turn-up of Occam’s When Broadweave acquired iProvo, it said it intended to products greatly facilitated our deployment.” take over both network operation and service delivery in order Peoples Rural Telephone, another Kentucky cooperative, to provide better, more consistent customer service. However, now offers advanced voice services, high-speed data and video negotiations with the retail providers proved to be complex, via RF overlay using Occam’s BLC, GPON OLT hardware and it has taken nearly a year to complete the acquisition of all and ONTs. As a result of this deployment, more than 50 per- the providers’ customers. cent of subscribers in Peoples’ territory are now served with Nuvont customers will be able to retain their existing phone Occam equipment. numbers, e-mail addresses and other identifications. Broad- Nex-Tech, the CLEC subsidiary of Rural Telephone in Le- weave says the only immediate change will be the company nora, Kansas, was an early FTTH deployer; Nex-Tech and Ru- name on the monthly bill – and access to more TV channels ral Telephone together have invested more than $80 million in and Internet speeds. BBP fiber upgrades for the communities they serve. Nex-Tech had previously deployed Occam’s Gigabit Ethernet FTTP equipment, and it selected Occam’s GPON products based in part on their capability for integration with the existing point-to- point network. Nex-Tech offers high-speed data, T1, IPTV and advanced voice services. Enhanced Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), an Indiana ILEC that offers triple play services over FTTH with Internet speeds up to 40 Mbps/20 Mbps, is planning a new FTTH project. According to local press reports, ETC will upgrade its old plant in the town of Batesville with fiber this spring. The company is quoted as saying that the upgrade is needed because “the demand for bandwidth, particularly for the Internet and high-definition television, has exhausted its capabilities earlier than expected.” Wiggins Telephone Association (WTA), an ILEC serving a rural area of Colorado, has begun replacing its 30-year- old copper network, using GPON equipment from Calix to deliver data over fiber to the home and wireless 802.11n routers from D-Link to distribute signals within the home. WTA’s fiber project is a response to a demand for broadband services that was overburdening the existing network. Many customers were still using dial-up connections, and the company was unable to deploy DSL everywhere (its service territory covers 2,000 square miles, with only 1,600 phone lines – less than one customer per square mile). “Fiber to the home was the only logical choice,” says Casey Quint, WTA plant supervisor. Terry Hendrickson, CEO and general manager of WTA, says, “It’s a rural area, but we need high-speed Internet services just like people do in the cities. Perhaps more so. We can’t just go around the corner to a coffee shop and get WiFi. People

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 11 Municipalities Cities Planning FTTH Networks everal cities are developing or re- “An FTTP design has the greatest financial risk, viewing plans for making fiber- but also offers the largest potential benefits.” Sbased broadband available to homes and businesses. The city ofRich - land, Washington, is one of them. In- seriously explored is for the city to build find out whether it will be eligible for spired in part by the pending prepack- fiber out to neighborhood nodes. Private stimulus-package funding. The city of aged bankruptcy of its cable franchisee, companies would then be able to build Jackson, which is also a municipal ca- Charter Communications (which also out the last mile (using any technol- ble operator, has decided against a fiber provides the city’s institutional net- ogy) and deliver service to customers. upgrade for the time being because it is work), the city hired Columbia Tele- Residents and businesses could also pur- reluctant to raise rates for subscribers. chase their own connections from their communications Corporation (CTC) to Jackson is across a river from Windom properties to city fiber. perform a needs assessment. CTC rec- and a fiber optic line from Windom The city of Northfield, Minnesota, ommended that the city build its own would have to be dug under the river, a hired CCG Consulting to study options institutional fiber network to serve city potentially expensive proposition. for providing municipal fiber broadband offices, schools and the municipal elec- In Palo Alto, California, we re- services. In a survey of city residents, ported last month that the city’s long- tric utility, and then expand it in four CCG found that even though 75 per- phases. The first expansion phase would awaited FTTH plan was coming un- cent of residents already had a broad- stuck; since that time, Axia NetMedia, bring fiber to large businesses and other band connection, 81 percent supported the financing partner in the consortium major electric utility customers; the the idea of the city entering the commu- with which the city was negotiating, has second phase would create wireless hot nications business and 78 percent would withdrawn from the project. In a letter spots in parts of the city underserved buy services from a city network. “These to city officials, Axia NetMedia says, “At by broadband; the third phase would are among the highest percentages we this point no solution appears possible address availability gaps in office com- have ever seen in this sort of survey,” within the constraints of the City of Palo plexes and MDUs; and the fourth and CCG commented. Alto’s financial condition, bylaws and final expansion phase would make fi- The report identified several finan- process.” A memo from the city manager ber connectivity available to all homes cially viable opportunities: the city to the city council (not yet acted on by and businesses, at a cost of between $30 could build the network and provide re- the city council at press time) says Axia’s tail services itself; it could build the net- million and $40 million. The report withdrawal was precipitated by the eco- work and contract with a commercial discusses several business models and fi- nomic downturn, the city’s reluctance partner to operate it; or it could encour- nancing options for FTTP but does not to increase its planned investment in recommend any in particular. age one of several private-sector entities to deploy fiber. (Another possibility is to the project, and the pending rollout of CTC notes, “A fiber-to-the-premises Comcast’s 50 Mbps/10 Mbps service. In (FTTP) design has the greatest financial partner with a private-sector entity and jointly apply for stimulus-package fund- addition, 180 Connect, the construction risk, but also offers the largest potential partner in the consortium, is no longer benefits. Demand for data will continue ing.) The one strategy that CCG did not consider financially viable was operating actively involved in the project, having to increase. Data pipes to homes and an open-access network. been acquired by DIRECTV. businesses will become as important to The city of Windom, Minnesota, The city manager recommends ter- Richland’s economic and cultural devel- which already operates a municipal minating the RFP process that led to opment as the streets that facilitate com- FTTH network, has been in discussions negotiations with the consortium and merce and quality of life today.” with some nearby cities about extending instead developing a plan for phased CTC also recently performed a fea- its network to their residents and busi- build-out from the existing fiber back- sibility study for the city of Seattle, in nesses. One of them, Lakefield, which bone, using the city’s own funds and which it identified five options for mak- operates a municipal cable TV system, whatever federal funding it can obtain. ing fiber more available to city residents was awarded a grant last year by the The first phase would expand the back- and businesses. Seattle has tentatively Blandin Foundation to perform a fiber bone to businesses, educational institu- put on hold the idea of building fiber feasibility study; according to local press tions and health and human services all the way out to homes and businesses, reports, Lakefield’s FTTH project is agencies, and revenues from this phase saying the plan is not economically fea- now on hold (like many other potential would be applied to further build-outs sible at present. The option being most network builds) while the city waits to in later years. BBP

12 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 RBOC UPDATE New Washington Apartment Buildings Offer FiOS esurgence and revitalization have ferson at Capitol Yards and the Axiom service over the next few years under a come to Washington, DC – to at Capitol Yards. Verizon is currently recently approved franchise agreement. Rthe Capitol Riverfront area, once installing fiber-optic cable in the third In another recent announcement, home to vacant lots and auto repair building, 909 Capitol Yards. Michael Verizon said recently that FiOS TV for shops and now a booming neighborhood Stevens, executive director of the Capi- Business is now available for as little full of new apartment buildings, offices, tol Riverfront Business Improvement as $12.99 per month, with a one-year stores and restaurants. And where there District, says, “JPI’s partnership with agreement. In an effort to provide greater is growth and revitalization, there’s Verizon illustrates the visionary ideals of value for small-business customers on bound to be fiber to the home. Residents the neighborhood that make it such an a budget, Verizon offers a TV pack- at two new apartment buildings in Capi- excellent location for living, business ac- age that includes local network affiliate tol Riverfront now have access to Veri- tivities, recreation and entertainment.” broadcasters, PBS, and public education zon’s FiOS Internet, and a third build- In addition, Verizon is deploying and government (PEG) programming. ing currently under construction will FiOS services in JPI’s new and existing Both local affiliate and PBS stations are have FiOS service later this spring. The developments in Maryland, Virginia, broadcast in standard and high defini- three buildings, owned by multifam- Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas and tion. The new package is available in the ily real estate investment company JPI, California. JPI’s buildings in Washington 14 states where FiOS TV for Business contain a total of 931 apartments. – as well other residences throughout the is currently offered, and is being used The two JPI buildings that now District – will also ultimately have access in waiting rooms, bars, restaurants and have access to FiOS Internet are the Jef- to FiOS TV as the company rolls out the similar venues. BBP

Fiber optic amentity providers Two New Projects for Connexion in Alabama yndham and Wyndham Gates company. “We’re thrilled with the Con- to bring truly cutting-edge technology communities in Opelika, Al- nexion Technologies partnership,” says to affordable homes.” These properties’ Wabama, will soon bring their Lee Danielly of Knight Development, networks will support an array of afford- residents advanced entertainment and owner of both properties. “Many of our able services including ultra-high-speed communications services over a fiber- residents are first-time homebuyers, and Internet connections, more than 200 to-the-home network built by Connex- we’re proud to offer them homes with digital channels of entertainment and ion Technologies, a fiber optic amenity this advanced network. It enables us multifunction telephone service. BBP

INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS Manchester Launches “Digital City” Initiative anchester, known as “Eng- ating a municipal open access network the Manchester city region to acceler- land’s second city,” has em- that includes both fiber to the premises, ate job growth, enhance the digital skill Mbarked on a pilot FTTP proj- advanced wireless services and a new base and provide new opportunities for ect less than a year after completing a Internet hub exchange. According to a home access, flexible working and tele- feasibility study and setting a goal of city planning document, “By creating care services.” The pilot project involves reinventing itself as a “digital city.” The this next-generation connectivity, we connecting up 50 premises with fiber city’s overall digital strategy calls for cre- aim to link key employment sites across this year, 150 next year and 400 in 2011,

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 13 at a cost of about $700,000; it will serve both homes and businesses, but it is focused on reaching businesses in the digital Vendor Spotlight media industry. Calix...... www .calix .com Iliad, the parent company of French telecom provider Free, CCG Consulting...... www .c-c-g .com says it will continue to roll out Free’s FTTH network. It ex- Columbia Telecommunications pects to pass 70 percent of Paris by the second half of this year Corporation...... www .ctcnet us. and a total of 4 million households by year-end 2012. D-Link...... www. .dlink .com Dutch broadband company Reggefiber is extending its Huawei Technologies...... www .huawei com. FTTH network to the cities of Veldhoven and Laarbeek, using Occam Networks ...... www occamnetworks. com. equipment from PacketFront. A total of 14,000 ports will be Optronics Technologies...... www. .optronics gr. added to the company’s original agreement with PacketFront – NEC Australia...... www nec. com. .au 9,500 in Veldhoven and 4,500 in Laarbeek. The network will PacketFront...... www .packetfront .com be rolled out and activated during the first half of 2009. The Saga...... www. .saga .rs PacketFront equipment to be used includes ASR5000 series StarHub ...... www .starhub com. routers, DRG integrated gateways, and the control and pro- TellyTopia ...... www tellytopia. com. visioning system BECS, which allows end users to provision Tilgin...... www. tilgin. .com their own services. A joint venture between NetCologne, which operates an FTTH network in the German city of Cologne, and Accom, a nated in the basement and signals distributed via Ethernet to each unit; other buildings will have fiber to the unit. In both municipal broadband utility in the city of Aachen, has launched cases, residents will receive voice services and Internet access at NetAachen, which will provide triple play services over fiber to speeds up to 100 Mbps. Equipment is from Chinese manufac- the building in Aachen. NetAachen will deliver Internet access turer Huawei. at speeds up to 100 Mbps. In another German city, Hanau, Vodafone subsidiary Ar- Public-Private Partnerships in Switzerland cor has started a fiber pilot project in Coloneo, a large apart- In an unusual collaboration between a telecom provider, an ment complex. In some of the buildings fiber will be termi- energy provider and a local government, Swiss incumbent Swisscom is working with electric utility Groupe E and the canton of Fribourg to deploy an open access FTTH network in Fribourg. Two pilot projects will be implemented later this year and eventually Groupe E’s whole Fribourg territory will be equipped with a fiber optic network. The project may be extended later to parts of other cantons. Groupe E and its energy provider partners will use the infrastructure to launch innovative solutions for energy efficiency. The canton government is supporting the project as part of its “High Tech in the Green” strategy to attract businesses while preserving the environment and ensuring equal service provision between urban and rural areas. The canton will also connect municipalities, schools and government services throughout the area. Consumers will have the benefit of high-speed Internet access and innovative new services. Elsewhere in Switzerland, citizens of the medieval city of St. Gallen voted overwhelmingly for the construction of a municipal open access fiber network. The city began negotiations with Swisscom, which was designated as the construction partner, but the negotiations have been put on hold until the end of April. In the meantime, a local ISP, mhs@internet, has announced that it is ready to deliver services over the network. In Basel, municipal energy utility IWB is also negotiating with Swisscom to build and operate a fiber optic network. Construction is scheduled to start this year, and the network is slated to reach 80 percent of Basel within 10 years, with “no cherry picking of enterprise customers and large properties,” according to David Thiel, CEO of IWB. All service providers will be guaranteed non-discriminatory and equal access to the network. Network services are expected to include not only triple play residential services but Web-enabled business applications.

14 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Deployer Spotlight

United Kingdom Netherlands Germany Slovakia Switzerland Slovenia France Serbia International Greece deployment activity. United Arab Emirates

Singapore

Indonesia

Australia

City of Richland, WA ...... www .ci .richland wa. us. City of Seattle, WA...... www .seattle .gov City of Windom, MN...... www. windom-mn. com. Connexion Technologies...... www. connexiontechnologies. .net

International Deployers Arcor...... www .arcor de. Biznet...... www .biznetnetworks com. City of Manchester, UK...... www .manchester .gov .uk Alaska City of St . Gallen, Switzerland ...... www .stadt .sg ch. States with fresh City of Karditsa, Greece...... deployment activity. Etisalat ...... www .etisalat .ae North American Telcos Ewz...... www .ewz .ch Ballard Telephone ...... www .brtc .net Government of Australia...... www. .australia .gov .au Broadweave Networks...... www. .broadweave .com Iliad...... http://iliad .fr/en Enhanced Telecommunications Corporation.www .etczone .com Infocomm Development Nex-Tech (Rural Telephone)...... www .nex-tech com. Authority of Singapore ...... www .ida gov. .sg Peoples Rural Telephone...... www. .prtcnet .org IWB...... www. iwb. ch. SureWest Communications...... www .surewest .com NetAachen...... www .netaachen de. Verizon Communications ...... www verizon. .com OptiComm ...... www .opticomm .com Wiggins Telephone Association...... www wigginstel. com. Reggefiber ...... www .reggefiber .nl Slovak Telekom...... www .slovaktelekom .sk/En Other North American Deployers Swisscom...... en. .swisscom .ch City of Northfield, MN...... www ci. .northfield .mn us. Telekom Slovenia...... www telekom. .si/en City of Palo Alto, CA...... www. .pafd .org Telstra...... www telstra. com. .au

And in Zurich, where municipal utility ewz deployed an open than 10 percent of broadband connections in Slovenia and FTTH access FTTH network in 2008, Swisscom and alternative pro- connections are “rising sharply.” As a percentage of households, vider Sunrise have both launched triple-play services over the FTTH penetration in Slovenia is the third highest in Europe and network. Both companies say these are trial offerings and they about double that of the United States. Telekom Slovenia plans to have yet to determine the terms of commercial offerings. continue building out its FTTH network in 2009. In the Greek city of Karditsa, a pilot FTTH project in Slovenia Now an FTTH Leader the central city is delivering Internet connectivity at speeds of In its 2008 annual report, Telekom Slovenia says that as of 1 Gbps to users’ homes. The network was constructed by the year-end 2008 there were about 45,000 FTTH subscribers in Greek telecom equipment supplier Optronics Technologies. the country, 15,000 of whom were Telekom Slovenia customers. Because this was the first FTTH project in Greece and the Despite the service being new, FTTH already accounts for more company wanted to gain experience implementing a variety of

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 15 technologies, they tried and compared a number of solutions “non building address points” like buses and streetlights. Now including point-to-point, direct cable access, multiducts and StarHub, with the help of a $165 million (US) subsidy from bend-limiting fibers. the Singapore government, will install the FTTH electronics An unidentifiedSerbian operator is fiber-wiring the “sports (a mixture of active Ethernet and GPON), operate the network village” for the Universiade 2009 sports and cultural festival, and contract with third-party retail service providers. Residen- which is being held in Belgrade this summer. This is the first tial broadband will be available at speeds up to 1 Gbps/500 FTTB/FTTH deployment in Serbia, and it will be used to de- Mbps, and business broadband will be available at speeds up liver triple play services. The deployment will be managed by to 1 Gbps symmetrical. Flexible wholesale service offerings by system integrator Saga and will use home gateways and soft- StarHub will allow retail service providers to meet demands ware from Tilgin. for different classes of service, ranging from best-effort to high- Slovak Telekom, a Slovakian subsidiary of Deutsche availability. The rollout should be 60 percent complete in 2010 Telekom, completed the first phase of its fiber-to-the-business and 100 percent complete by January 1, 2013. network deployment project with the assistance of Huawei Middle Eastern telecom provider Etisalat announced the Technologies. With 34 sites and 90,000 subscriber lines, the availability of fixed-line broadband services of 8 Mbps and 16 first phase of the nationwide commercial project was completed Mbps for customers connected to its next-generation FTTH in just five months and is one of the largest GPON deployments network. Etisalat aims to connect the entire city of Abu Dhabi in Eastern Europe. A Slovak Telekom official notes, “The de- to fiber by mid-2009, making it one of the first cities in the ployment enables us to reduce network costs and simplify net- world to be fully connected by FTTH and the first city and work structure, greatly enhancing the subscriber experience.” capital in the Middle East to have full FTTH connectivity. Universal FTTP Service in Singapore “To succeed in broadband in the future, a company must be The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore took service and application driven and not just capacity driven,” says another big step toward its national broadband network with Nasser bin Obood, Etisalat’s chief corporate affairs officer. “We the award of a contract to StarHub, until now a cable and have now crossed the 500,000 broadband subscribers mark in wireless provider. Last year Singapore awarded a contract to the UAE, which brings Internet penetration to around 60 per- a consortium known as Opennet to build out fiber to every cent. This is above many international benchmarks and means premises in the country, supplemented by wireless service to that to grow penetration even further, we need to take a different

16 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 approach – we need to be service driven.” tionwide, all greenfield developments Bin Obood identifies four areas of po- will be required to use FTTP technol- tential growth in services: digital home ogy after July 2010. technologies, smart home technologies, This last requirement shouldn’t be dif- IPTV and technical support. ficult to achieve, given that many green- Indonesian provider Biznet has ex- field housing developments in Australia panded its FTTH services to the island are already being fiber-wired by a variety of Bali. It launched services in January in of telecom providers. Incumbent provider a region at the southern end of the island Telstra has about 3,100 homes in green- that is popular with tourists – including field developments on its FTTH Veloc- business travelers, who need reliable In- ity network, and it recently announced ternet services. Both business and resi- plans to upgrade Velocity to peak speeds dential services are provided. of 100 Mbps – five times the current peak speed – by the end of the year. Ac- Ninety Percent of Australia cording to Group Managing Director Will Be Fiber-Wired Holly Kramer, “This upgrade will ensure In a surprise move, the government of residents can continue to access the com- Australia canceled the RFP for a na- munication and entertainment facilities tional broadband network – and an- they need now and into the future. Over nounced that it would build and operate time the focus of the 100 Mbps upgrade an open access network itself, in part- will shift from multiple users within the nership with the private sector. The gov- household enjoying simultaneous access ernment announced the establishment to existing products to new, high-speed of a company to build and operate the services as they emerge.” network, which it calls “the single larg- Another Australian provider, Opti- est nation building infrastructure proj- comm, is also building and operating ect in Australian history.” FTTH networks in greenfield devel- Under the plan, every house, school opments, serving both residential and and business in Australia will get access business customers. Opticomm is also to affordable fast broadband. A FTTP planning to provide access at speeds up network will deliver broadband services to 100 Mbps to residential customers, with speeds up to 100 Mbps to 90 per- using technology supplied by NEC Aus- cent of all Australian homes, schools tralia. For business users, OptiComm and workplaces – virtually everyone in will use NEC’s FTTH optical terminal a town with a population of 1,000 or equipment with 1 Gbps ports, which more. All other premises will be con- supplies both Internet access and virtual nected with next-generation wireless LAN service. and satellite technologies at broadband OptiComm has entered into agree- speeds of 12 Mbps. ments with several ISPs, and is finaliz- The government will be the major- ing agreements with several others, to ity shareholder of the new company, deliver retail high-speed broadband and but significant private investment is ex- telephone services over its wholesale ac- pected. The total investment – govern- cess FTTH networks. Several free and ment and private – will amount to $30 subscription video services are also avail- billion (US) over an eight-year period. able on the networks. “FTTH is no lon- Within five years after the network is ger a nice-to-have, but a must for new built out and operational, the Govern- residential and mixed-use developments. ment plans to sell down its interest in Indeed, we’re seeing it being mandated the company. by many of the large developers who Next steps are to begin an imple- have identified it as a disadvantage not to mentation plan for the full-scale project, have high-speed broadband connectivity beef up the nation’s fiber backbone, and in new homes,” says Phil Smith, General at the same time start rolling out FTTP Manager, OptiComm. BBP and next-generation wireless in Tasma- nia (the island of Tasmania is a state in Australia, and the state government had About the Author bid on the RFP as a regional network You can reach Masha at masha@broad builder) as early as July of this year. Na- bandproperties.com.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 17 Gaming in the Cloud, Internet TV… and More The number of broadband households is reaching the critical mass needed to spur the development of new devices and applications – and that, in turn, will create even more demand for more and better broadband connections .

ew consumer applications for ultra-broadband – the kind of Nhigh-bandwidth, super-reliable, low-latency, no-monthly-cap broadband that only fiber to the home can deliver – are arriving at an accelerated rate. Here are some of this month’s sightings: • OnLive’s new gaming service threat- ens to make gaming hardware go the way of the dinosaur. The company came out of stealth mode to announce an online platform, seven years in development, on which hard-core gamers can play solo or multiplayer games using either a TV (with a tiny, inexpensive “MicroCon- sole”) or almost any PC or Mac. “No high-end hardware, no upgrades, no endless downloads, no discs, no recalls, no obsolescence,” says Steve Perlman, the company’s founder and CEO. Gamers can watch live games OnLive’s approach to gaming hardware is low-cost and minimalist because the in action, join in at any point, and game engine is online . network with friends. The platform should appeal to publishers and developers because it re- • Research firm Parks Associates reports that about 2.5 mil- duces development costs while expanding the potential lion broadband households in the US and Canada would market size – and, in fact, most of the major publishers have be willing to purchase an Internet-connected TV (like the already signed on (or invested in the company). Because the 11 new Wooo models just introduced by Hitachi) at a price games run “in the cloud” and not on the user’s computer premium of $100 over regular TVs. The top application or console, there’s only one thing required to use OnLive: that consumers want through a connected TV is access to seriously good broadband. video-on-demand content from the Internet (other possible applications are on-screen widgets and playback of content • Apple just began selling and renting high-definition mov- stored on home computers). “Access to additional content ies for download through its iTunes store. (Some television is the key demand driver,” notes John Barrett, director of episodes were already available in HD.) Where Apple goes, research at Parks Associates. “Most people can get popu- its competitors aren’t far behind. Amazon is rumored to be lar video titles through their pay-TV providers, but if they testing a high-definition progressive download service for want to watch niche or personal content on their TV, they movies and TV with some TiVo users. And new technology have to burn or buy DVDs. With a connected TV, they like Akamai AdaptiveEdge Streaming for Microsoft Sil- suddenly have lots more options.” Parks Associates’ find- verlight lets content providers offer broadband video that ing calls into question the walled-garden approach that is automatically adapts to the user’s bandwidth – the higher being used by several TV manufacturers, which essentially the bandwidth, the higher the resolution. attempts to recreate the cable VoD offering. BBP

18 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 BBP April 09-2-outlined.indd 1 3/25/2009 11:16:35 AM Strong Growth for FTTH Worldwide sales of PON equipment are still growing briskly, and a new study forecasts a tripling of FTTx subscribers by 2013 .

Forecast: 145 Million FTTx Subscriptions by 2013 he number of global FTTx subscriptions in 2008. However, subscrip- works to fiber, and there are now 16.6 scriptions will almost triple be- tions are clustered in only a few coun- million FTTx subscriptions in that Ttween now and the end of 2013, tries and fiber is still not a reality for country. according to research firm Informa Tele- consumers in most countries. By 2013, Informa predicts there will coms & Media (www.informatm.com), The majority of FTTx subscriptions be 145 million subscriptions – just under but operators face some key challenges. are in Asia, where pioneering fiber na- one in five of all global broadband sub- According to Informa Telecoms & tions Japan and Korea have 13.4 million scriptions. Much of this growth will be Media’s “FTTx: A Global Analysis,” and 7.0 million FTTx subscriptions re- fueled by Europe and North America. there were 49 million fiber-to-the-home, spectively. Chinese operators have been Except for a few alternative operators, fiber-to-the-building and VDSL sub- aggressively upgrading their legacy net- FTTx growth in Western Europe has

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20 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 been sluggish to date. But greater regu- “A whole host of new services were developed latory certainty and wider acceptance of the benefits of fiber will generate 21.6 once broadband became more prevalent, and the million FTTx subscriptions by 2013, or total household penetration of 10.5 same thing will happen with FTTx.” percent. While the global financial crisis will cause some operators to slow spend- fiber markets will see some slowdown advantage of the extra bandwidth that ing down in the short term, Informa in growth as they approach saturation. DSL provided over dial-up was peer-to- does not expect this to significantly alter FTTH and FTTB in Japan, for ex- peer downloading. A whole host of new uptake through to 2013. ample, will have a compound annual services were developed once broadband Central and Eastern Europe, not growth rate of only 7.9 percent. became more prevalent, and the same currently thought of as an advanced With a few exceptions, most opera- thing will happen with FTTx.” broadband region, will have an FTTx tors with advanced FTTx rollout plans The challenge for operators, Informa penetration rate comparable to West- have not made money from their new says, is to avoid the mistake they made ern Europe by 2013, with 10.6 million networks. Some will try and charge with the first generation of broadband subscriptions. Operators in Central and more for FTTx but others, including by letting others develop services while Eastern Europe are taking advantage of a alternative operators Fastweb of Italy, they provided only connectivity. They high proportion of multi-dwelling units France’s Free and Sweden’s Bredbands- must play to their strengths as opera- (MDUs) and a lax regulatory regime to bolaget are charging the same or even quickly roll out FTTB in the region. less for their premium services as their tors to make sure that, where they are in North America, too, will see signifi- legacy services. the position to do so, they are the ones cant growth. As a result of aggressive There are also few value-added ser- providing services for their subscribers. rollouts from both AT&T and Verizon, vices or applications that rely on the ex- They should also look to take advantage there will be 24 million FTTx subscrip- tra bandwidth of FTTx. But this should of some FTTx’s other benefits, such as tions in North America in 2013, mak- not stop operators from rolling out. “Ul- the potential to increase their wholesale ing up 22 percent of the total market. timately, the revenue will come,” says shares and the associated revenue ben- On the other hand, some of today’s lead Cottle. “The only service that truly took efits this will bring. BBP 4Q08 PON Revenue Up 38% Year Over Year uarterly manufacturer revenue for passive optical network Qequipment (BPON, EPON, GPON, and WDM-PON) was $564 million in 4Q08, up 38 percent from 4Q07 but about equal to 3Q08, according to market research firm Infonetics (www.infonetics.com). Flat spending in the fourth quarter reflects a slight pause in GPON network buildouts outside the US but continued growth of EPON-based FTTH and FTTB deployments in Japan, South Korea, and China. PON manufacturer revenue is forecast to grow at a rapid compound annual growth rate of 23 percent between 2008 and 2013, as the shift from copper- to fiber-based broadband access drives growth in this market around the world. The PON and Ethernet FTTH equipment market continues to be one of the most dynamic in the world, with operators crease revenue via premium broadband, on FTTH equipment spending because around the globe prioritizing deep fiber IPTV, online gaming, and femtocells. it remains a top strategic priority for deployments to stem the loss of copper- Infonetics expects the current eco- those operators that have committed based access lines, reduce opex, and in- nomic climate to have a minimal impact to it. BBP

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 21 Municipal FTTH Deployment Snapshot Gainesville Regional Utilities – Gainesville, Florida

This month’s featured municipal FTTH deployer is Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRUCom), the fiber-to-the-home provider for the city of Gainesville, Florida, and surrounding areas. GRU began by providing network connectivity to city government and schools – which it still does – and expanded its mission to deliver Ethernet-based services to businesses in the 1990s, well before fiber-to-the-premises technology had even come of age. Later it added connections to MDUs, predominantly for student housing (GRU’s residential service is called Gator.net, after the University of Florida’s athletic teams), and in 2007 it began serving fiber to homes in greenfield housing developments. Our thanks to Frank Latini, Technical Services Manager, and Tammy Snyder, Network Operations Center Supervisor, for gathering the information for this snapshot. Find out more at www.gru.com. – BBP Editors

Background Provider name: Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRUCom) Public entity owning the provider: City of Gainesville, Florida FTTH/FTTB service area: Gainesville Regional Utilities service area, which includes Gainesville and the surrounding unincorporated areas Number of FTTH/FTTB subscribers: 4,800 Competitive landscape: AT&T offers DSL and telephone; Cox Communications offers triple-play services

Network Profile Miles of fiber backbone: 300 cable miles Network architecture: Active Ethernet – FTTB for businesses and multiple dwelling units, FTTH for greenfield housing developments Business model: Both wholesale (bulk services through MDU owners) and retail Services offered: GRUCom provides both Metro Ethernet located outside Alachua, Florida, is one example . The re- and SONET-based services including high-speed Inter- search park is home to many businesses, including the net access (bulk and retail), data transport, data center University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator . co-location, public safety data and radio communica- Since we began offering services to businesses in the park tions, and carrier-class, point-to-point data circuits . Ac- in 1998 there has been growth in the biotech sector and celerated dial-up Internet access is also offered . new buildings continue to spring up in the park . Highest tier Internet access speeds: GRUCom is also scheduled to provide fiber services to 100 Mbps symmetrical Santa Fe College’s new Alachua Corporate Training Center, Year deployment started: GRUCom began offering com- which will be located next to Progress Corporate Park . The mercial services in 1996, then added high-speed Inter- center will provide workforce training for the biotech in- net access in 2000 . dustry . Years to complete buildout: Buildout is continuing; The City of Gainesville also partnered with the Council the FTTH project begun in 2007 will take 10 years on Economic Development to provide high-speed connec- to complete tivity to the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center, which fosters early-stage technology start-up companies . Several Economic Development Impact businesses that received connectivity at the enterprise cen- Our network has attracted businesses to the area and alter have matured and moved to locations where GRUCom’s lowed them to expand . The Progress Corporate Park, services are available and continue to use them today . The

22 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Municipal FTTH Deployment Snapshot

fiber network has also allowed several existing companies to technology is new to this area, many did not know the ben- receive superior service at much lower prices . efits of fiber, why they should want a fiber connection and how it will pave the way for the next wave of technology . FTTH Deployment Team Sometimes in our excitement to provide customers with Design, construction, installation, and integration are all better services, we forget the importance of educating handled in-house by GRUCom staff them so they see the value in what we are doing .

Deployment Details Biggest Success Aerial, underground, or both? Both Our biggest success was bringing FTTH to our community . Method for underground installation: Directional bor- By operating an active Ethernet network, we have ensured ing; all underground fiber is in conduit that our users do not experience bottlenecks during peak- Method for connecting fiber: Field splicing usage times . Because we are in an academic community, we pride ourselves on managing our network so it is con- Operating Equipment sistently reliable and consistently fast – the key word being Central office electronics: Nortel and Cisco routers and “consistent ”. switches As a municipal utility, we are very community-focused, Fiber cables: Corning and part of that community is the large student popula- Customer premises equipment: ReadyLinks Rhino Opti- tion that we serve . Gainesville is unusual in that we have cal Services Gateway (OSG and OSG-H), Transition Net- the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, Shands at UF works media converters Teaching Hospital and a large Veteran’s hospital, as well as Key Software a growing biotech industry .We are continuing to grow our B/OSS: SAP FTTB service because there is such a demand from property Geographic Information System: ESRI owners whose residents need high-speed Internet service . Network management system: OSP Insight As a local provider, we are aware of the nuances in our community and tailor our services to meet those needs . Network Operation We watch the academic calendar and plan our mainte- Number of central office personnel: 6 nance around it, and we staff so that we are prepared for Number of OSP personnel: 6 issues . Reliability is so important to us that in 2004 we dis- Number of CSRs: 9 patched staff to fix a network issue in the midst of making hurricane preparations for a storm that was approaching Biggest Challenge our area and expected to make landfall the next day . BBP Our biggest challenge has been explaining to our customers, in terms that are meaningful to them, why FTTH is so much better than copper . Recently during a conversion Contact Masha Zager at masha@broadbandproperties. from Long-Reach Ethernet [a protocol that delivers high- com if you would like your municipal fiber deployment speed data over copper wires] to FTTH many customers to be featured in Broadband Properties. questioned why we were making the switch . Because the

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 23 Artist Rendering

Trump Plaza Jersey City

By Joe Bousquin ■ Contributing Editor, Broadband Properties

This month’s showcased property is Trump Plaza Jersey City, a luxury tower developed by Metro Homes in partnership with the Trump Organization . The developer worked with private cable operator BroadStar Communications to deploy fiber to the unit, and leveraged Dish Network’s QAM solution to provide bulk video and Internet services to residents, as well as telephony . Our thanks to Metro Homes founder Dean Geibel, as well as BroadStar’s Tyler and Rus- sell Bell, for their assistance in preparing this feature .

Basic Property Information a partnership with private cable operator BroadStar Commu- hen Dean Geibel, founder of Hoboken, New Jersey- nications, based in Williamstown, New Jersey, all 444 homes based developer Metro Homes, set out to build the in the 55-story tower now enjoy fiber-to-the-unit connectiv- Wtallest residential building in New Jersey on the ity. Multiple three-port Ethernet jacks provide plug-and-play Hudson River’s Gold Coast, he knew he couldn’t skimp on the Internet, TV and phone connectivity, and residents can en- details. Not only did he want to command prices significantly joy Internet speeds up to 18 Mbps. In-unit networking allows higher than the going market rate in up-and-coming Jersey computers, printers and other peripherals to connect to one City; he also had a partner whose name, which was franchised another automatically. to the building, would undoubtedly raise buyers’ expectations: Donald Trump. Every aspect of Trump Plaza Jersey City, which Geibel built and which the Trump Organization now manages, had to be top-notch, from the 24/7 concierge service and valet parking, to the rooftop resort and spa, 26-foot demilune heated thermal bath, Brown Labrador polished granite counters and cherry ginger cabinets. Even the views, which include the Manhattan skyline, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, are world-class. “The Trump name is considered the gold standard in luxury housing,” says Geibel. “When you buy from Trump, you expect everything, and we really wanted to put anything and everything we possibly could into this building. It’s very much like living in a luxury hotel.”

So when it came to choosing the technology package for Artist Rendering the building, Geibel couldn’t afford to go halfway. Through

24 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Above: Ports on right are CWDM combiners . Each fiber there carries all Above: Fiber terminations at headend . The distribution trunk cables are three services to each of the 1x32 splitters . Inputs behind each green spliced onto the back side, and the front side connections you see feed output are for video and for data (phone, Internet) . Calix equipment feeds them with signal . Each yellow fiber on the leftmost of the three racks feeds the data side . Video-only outputs from optical three-way splitters are a unit . There is a spare fiber run below each connection you see . at left .

BroadStar deployed Dish Network’s Quadrature Ampli- we get a call on noon at Friday, we’ll be out there Friday after- tude Modulation (QAM) system, which feeds programming noon,” Bell says. “A lot of developers in that situation would to multiple units from a single dish and supports dual analog just choose the incumbent, with the thinking that it’s the safe and digital signals. The set-up provides must-take bulk televi- choice. I was impressed by Metro’s willingness to choose a sion services to residents, who pay for the base package through PCO, and taking a position that we could provide faster Inter- their condominium association fees and can select upgraded net and more services.” programming for additional fees paid to BroadStar. Packages include Korean and other international programming options Vital Stats to serve the area’s Asian communities. Located at Washington and Bay Streets in Jersey City, Trump While plans to complete a second tower at the project have Plaza I is the first of two planned towers hailed as the tallest been put on hold due to the current economic climate, Geibel residential buildings in New Jersey. At 532 feet, Trump Plaza I says having the technology amenity has helped his sales velocity tops out at 55 stories housing 444 condo units. Luxurious in- and pricing, and 82 percent of the first tower has been sold. teriors are complemented by an onsite resort and spa, 24-hour “This is one more amenity that’s helping us close deals,” concierge service and breathtaking views of Manhattan, Ellis Geibel says. “In this market, we’re throwing everything at Island and the Statue of Liberty. them, including the kitchen sink, and this system is certainly Greenfield or retrofit? Greenfield something we can hang our hat on.” Prices start in the high Number of residential units completed: 444 $300,000s for a studio, and range into the millions; one of the building’s “grand” penthouses recently sold for $2.4 million. High-rise/mid-rise/garden style? High-rise The building also represented a coup for BroadStar, which Date services started being delivered: June 2008 collects an average of $147 per unit for its services each month. While many other Trump-branded properties have deployed Technology Verizon’s FiOS services, Geibel says BroadStar stood out in the How is fiber distributed inside the building? bidding process for the job, both in terms of price and techno- Russell Bell, Vice President of Field Operations, BroadStar: We logical capabilities. deployed 14 144-count, single-mode Superior Essex fiber “Money is always a big consideration, and BroadStar gave trunks to the 14 intermediate distribution frames (IDFs). us significantly lower rates than the incumbent providers,” From these locations, we deployed 4-count, single-mode Geibel says. “But beyond that, we have a 100-percent fiber dis- “home run” cables to the structured wiring box (SWB) lo- tribution system that’s one of the most advanced in the entire cated inside each unit. All trunks were terminated inside state. It’s been performing well, and is extremely stable. We felt our headend onto Standard Connector/Angled Physical the price was right, and that what was offered was better than Contact (SC/APC) panels. Two fibers were spliced all the what we saw from other providers.” way through to each unit, with one primary and one spare, Tyler Bell, CEO of the private cable operator, says part of which leaves the potential for two additional lines to be the firm’s winning equation was its service commitment. “If spliced through to each unit if ever needed.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 25 Above: A chassis of 1x32-way optical splitters (that is, with one line in and Above: This is a fiber splicing junction in an IDF, where a fiber trunk is 32 out) . Each output fiber carries phone, cable, and Internet, and eventually spliced to the home-run drop fibers going to the units . feeds an ONT in each living unit .

From the SWB in the unit, we building? Could closets be shared with have home-run wires to each wall other utilities, or did you need to create plate using one coax, one Ether- a dedicated maintenance space? Our net and one phone cable. There are headend space is a dedicated room as many as eight wall plates within that’s about 10’x 15.’ Our IDF space a unit. is shared and only takes 3’ x 3’ of Why did you choose this distribution ar- wall space. chitecture? Stability, flexibility, future If your property has multiple buildings, is proofing and redundancy. the network distributed between them What is the FTTH technology and who’s via aerial or underground means, or the electronics vendor? This is a fiber- both? Two 4-inch underground con- to-the-unit framework, deployed duits have been laid to connect the over PON equipment from Calix. two towers when complete. Are you using MDU or SFU ONTs? We Services deployed the Calix 720G ONT, Does the building have triple play services? which is a single-family unit. Each Yes. home has its own ONT with one Can residents subscribe to IPTV? Ethernet port, two phone ports and Russell Bell: No, but the distribution is one cable port. The cable port feeds an 8-way splitter, and each phone capable of offering it. We have cho- port feeds all drops within the unit. sen to provide a digital QAM service The Ethernet port is preconnected to offered through Dish Network. We the kitchen jack. went in this direction because they The structured wiring box located in each unit offer a larger selection of ethnic pro- How was the technology installed to reduce contains the ONT, battery backup, fiber tray, coax gramming, and because the technol- cost and protect the aesthetic? All ca- splitter, phone punch-down board and blue Cat ogy can be serviced by a traditional 5 Ethernet cable running to the wallplates . bling is within riser closets, hallway cable technician who doesn’t have to drop ceilings, and free wired in the be trained in IP networking – which walls to the structured wiring box option of adding their own wire- translates into lower overall service during preconstruction. less router within their units. When costs to BroadStar for the network Have you provided wireless signals within that’s the case, we try to educate the as a whole. units, or are residents free to set up customer on password-protecting The upgrade option supports their own wireless access points? Broad- their connection. standard and hi-def receivers, as well Star wireless service is offered in the How much square footage did you have as standard and hi-def DVR/receiv- common areas, and owners have the to dedicate to the network inside the ers. The equipment cost and time to

26 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 install is significantly less than the IP method, and it can be deployed over traditional cable TV coax plants, as well as fiber. Tyler Bell: We are actually strong believ- ers in offering an analog tier as well as digital services. I know there’s this big buzz that everybody is only interested in digital TV, but we are challenging that a little bit. There is definitely a demand for digital television, but when you have three to five bedrooms and you have kids, you don’t necessarily want five or six set-top boxes just so the kids can watch the Cartoon Network on the television in the kitchen or their bedrooms. Many customers would rather have an analog signal for those sets, and plug them straight into the back of their TVs. So having a combination of analog and digital, I think for a long time is still going to be the outside the unit. But because we ran net is included in the condominium best solution. There is a push to all- fiber and not coax, they have no ser- fees. Internet upgrades to 18 Mbps digital, which, by the way, is much viceable wire to intercept outside the service are running at about 40 per- cheaper. It’s easier to do all-digital or unit at that distance. cent, with digital television upgrades all-IP. But we think that the invest- The irony is that some companies running at about 70 percent. Phone ment into analog is valuable. want to play it safe by running a coax upgrades are at 25 percent. Do residents have a choice of service pro- cable, running a fiber line, and run- Who handles billing and collection? viders? How many service providers ning a phone line so they can have re- BroadStar bills residents directly for can they choose from? dundancy, because who knows what any upgraded services. The Trump Russell Bell: Currently, since New Jer- might come down the road. But if we Organization collects the condo- sey is a mandatory-access state, had run a coax cable, our competi- minium fees. they have the choice of BroadStar tors would have the right to use it. or Comcast. However, we have an Tyler Bell: That’s another really nice ad- How are the services marketed, and by agreement to provide bulk cable (25 vantage of running fiber to the unit. whom? Residents receive welcome channels) and bulk Internet (up to There’s a little bit of protection in it packages explaining BroadStar’s ser- 386 Kbps) to each unit. The fee for for us. vices when they move in. this base package, which amounts If residents have an issue or technical chal- What has the return been on this imple- to approximately $45 per month, is lenge, whom do they call? BroadStar. mentation, in dollars or otherwise? built into the homeowners associa- Dean Geibel: This is one more way to tion dues. Residents can subscribe to Business differentiate ourselves from the upgraded services and speeds for an Who owns the network? BroadStar. additional charge. competition, one more thing for us Was there a door fee? If so, what was it? to brag about. When someone asks, How did the owner set up the dual choice BroadStar paid the developer $150 “Do you have the bandwidth?” we capabilities, from a wiring and busi- per door, which was significantly less can honestly say yes. And not only ness standpoint? than what other providers were of- that, but we can say that this is one Russell Bell: Although Comcast has ca- fering at the time (up to $700). The of the most advanced systems avail- bled the building, because we laid developer paid for all labor to run the able anywhere right now. And it’s fiber all the way into the SWB in- lines within the building, and within not just smoke and mirrors. You can side the units, they have not resolved each unit. Metro Homes also paid for point to these things. They’re real. their challenge of getting cable from the wall plates within the unit. the hallway into the units them- Why did the property owner decide to selves. In a mandatory-access state, Are services automatically included in the structure the deployment in this way, outside providers have the right to rent or condo fees? If not, what was the from a business perspective? access established lines at 10 inches initial take rate? Basic cable and Inter- Russell Bell: Metro Homes was initially

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 27 unaware of our method of fiber deployment. The benefit was that they negotiated a great bulk rate, with a reputable company with 25 years in the business. Onsite Experience/Lessons Learned What was the biggest challenge? Russell Bell: Working with the unions. Since we didn’t have the option to pull our own cable, many of the drops were pulled in an incor- rect manner, causing many of the drops to fail their light testing. The fix was to replace and resplice these faulty drops. What was the biggest success? Russell Bell: Calix has been an outstanding product. It offers the ability to remote acti- vate/deactivate any service and adjust bandwidth usage for any customer. These ONTs will also alert us of power failures, battery

backup failures and signal issues. It’s a very Enablence FTTx triple-play solutions are scalable in connecting are you Whether deployments. small or large single family homes, businesses or apartments, our network easy is to implement in stages, when you’re ready. Join the more than 120 satisfied Enablence customers worldwide who have achieved payback within 18 months and are ready for growth with our universal, 10G-ready platform. Call It’s easy. today. 339 1093 678 +1 www.enablence.com stable system with great customer support. Dean Geibel: I think it’s the fact that it provides one-stop shop- How has the network affected life at the community? How has it helped reposition the community?

ping for our residents. If there is a problem, it’s one phone in. call. There’s no finger-pointing between different people. Russell Bell: Because we chose Dish Network’s QAM solu- BroadStar provides everything, and their service is excel- tion for the cable TV upgrade, residents have the option to out. lent. It’s nice that they take care of the whole ball of wax. choose a wide variety of ethnic programming not offered by other providers. Since this property has a very high Korean

population, these kinds of custom programming packages Ease have been well received. We also offer a South Asian pack- Cash age, Japanese, Spanish and others.

Nationwide BOUND EDGE I would also note that for Internet, we offer more band- Installation width than the incumbent, as well as unlimited, full-featured phone service, for less cost. Services What would you say to owners who want to deploy a similar net- Since 1996 work? What issues should they consider before they get started? Speed Wire is a premier provider of technology Russell Bell: Try to avoid unions. For BroadStar, unions add installation services. We install wired and wireless about 75 percent to the cost of any job, even when we pay broadband internet access infrastructure for our in-house people prevailing wages. Developers should residential and business communities. Some of the negotiate, up front, their ability to outsource certain parts Nation’s largest CLEC’s, ILEC’s, and Fortune 500 of their construction, or at least the communications por- Companies contract Speed Wire’s field services team tion, to union-approved subcontractors, so that you’re not for installations, upgrades, and deployment services. beholden solely to the union alone. Dean Geibel: As in any business decision, you’re looking at value Providing installation and support for – what does it cost to provide these services, versus what it Copper & Fiber Structured Cabling Wireless Technologies (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, PtoP) would cost if you went to a competitor, or if you broke it up into different systems. You need to consider what an- Site Surveys • Nationwide Roll Outs Project Design • Project Management other provider might offer, and whether you would get the same types of services, as well as whether all these services 2009 Broadband Summit • Booth 902 are necessary. Contact Kevin Donnelly, President In a building like Trump Plaza, it is an absolute neces- 516-945-6885 sity. In a smaller or less prestigious building, you might be [email protected] able to get away with not providing the best of everything, www.speedwireinc.com but I think doing so is money well spent, because people 249-50 Jericho Turnpike • Floral Park, NY 11001 are more and more savvy about their technology choices these days. BBP

28 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 BOUND EDGE

Ease in. Enablence FTTx triple-play solutions are scalable in large or small deployments. Whether you are connecting single family homes, businesses or apartments, our Cash out. network is easy to implement in stages, when you’re ready. Join the more than 120 satisfied Enablence customers worldwide who have achieved payback within 18 months and are ready for growth with our universal, 10G-ready platform.

Call today. It’s easy. +1 678 339 1093 www.enablence.com international New Applications on Display in Paris Our roving reporter has seen the future, and it works….or, rather, teleworks. Smart grid and health care applications are gaining traction, too.

By John Schultz ■ U-reka Broadband Ventures

he 2009 Alcatel-Lucent We do not have to wait for electric utilities Enterprise Forum held in Paris in March provided to deploy their own networks in order to glimpses of some inter- deliver smart grid applications. Instead, the esting applications to fill Tthe broadband pipe enabled by fiber to utilities can deliver these applications through the premises. It also offered an opportu- partnerships with incumbent or competitive nity to catch up on the development of FTTP networks in both Europe and the telecommunications providers. United States. update on BTES’ fiber-to-the-premises Germany. Under an arrangement with Telework in the Arctic deployment and the synergies between electrical service providers, T-Systems The Forum provided many ideas for ser- the energy and telecommunications installs a smart meter and a gateway in vice providers looking to layer additional sides of the business. Dr. Browder said each home to gather, store and distribute applications across their networks. One of that while the network was originally information about electrical usage in the these was telework – specifically the abil- built to facilitate economic development home. This system uses DSL and GRPS ity for enterprises to make their corporate (as he put it, “FTTP to every home (cellular) backhaul to bring the informa- systems available in a secure environment means each home is a potential business tion back to the T-System servers, where to their home-based employees. incubator”), the capabilities of the net- both the utility and the end user can ac- The municipality of Arvidsjaur in work had also improved the reliability cess and use the information. sparsely populated northern Sweden, and the use of the electric grid. Currently the home gateway can close to the Arctic Circle, is trying to lure One of the electric grid applications store up to three months of data, but residents from elsewhere in Europe. In includes the use of Carina Technology’s with a fiber-to-the-premises network this case the stunning scenery and Northern home gateway to assist customers in information could be shared instantly Lights aren’t enough to draw crowds, the managing their hot water heaters, and with the network servers to allow end- city has built an open access fiber network potentially to allow them to manage users to make real-time decisions about (using GPON equipment and more than other home appliances in the future. Dr. their electrical usage. The T-Systems 600 km of fiber) that allows access to the Browder said that since deployment of application can also gather information telecommunications services required for the fiber-to-the-premises system in Bris- about natural gas usage. In the future, telework applications. According to Glen tol, electric outage times had fallen by T-Systems envisions “micro-reading” all Ericsson, a representative of the network appliances within the home to give resi- operator CityNet, the incumbent telco, 25 percent. Because the GPON system Telia, does not ride over the municipal does not rely on commercial power to dents even more detailed information network – but, interestingly, Verizon uses continue working (there are batteries in about their utility usage. the network to provide a high-capacity the home and generators in the central The fact that it is the telecommuni- circuit to an automobile testing facility office), it can be used to pinpoint exactly cations provider, not the electric utility, in the area. where an electrical outage was initiated. delivering the service implies that we do Christian Muller-Elschner of T-Sys- not have to wait for electric utilities to FTTP and the Smart Grid tems (a division of Deutsche Telecom) deploy their own networks in order to Dr. Mike Browder, CEO of Bristol Ten- spoke about his company’s smart meter- deliver smart grid applications. Instead, nessee Essential Services, provided an ing pilot program in Friedrichshafen, they can deliver them through partner-

30 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 international ships with competitive and incumbent Service providers should look toward the service providers. On the show floor I was able to see enterprise market to find new features the demo of the Alcatel Lucent Smart Metering application, which both allows and applications. By creating partnerships the residential customer to see real-time to enable enterprises to reach out to the consumption patterns in the home and also allows the electric utility to see the residential market, they can find ways to consumption patterns of the entire electrical network so it can perform tasks bring additional revenue to the bottom line. such as load balancing. analysis applications servers at the medi- find ways to bring additional revenue to Health Care Applications cal centers, the sensors, medical devices the bottom line by creating partnerships Dr. Bill Fera from the University of and controls within the home can com- to enable enterprises to reach out to the Pittsburgh Medical Center presented municate the patient’s status back to the residential market. his organization’s vision for using IT medical center and manage the patient’s in the health care system. The medi- health care requirements with fewer pa- About the Author cal center’s outpatient program, called tient visits. Roam Care, addresses three population John Schultz is President of U-reka Broad- segments by keeping healthy people Conclusion band Ventures. U-reka Broadband works healthy, reducing the chance of recur- As service providers continue to look for with service providers, private business and rences, and managing active diseases. applications to fill their broadband pipes, local units of government to develop busi- The goal is to continually move patients it is important for us to look toward the ness, network and implementation plans toward a healthier lifestyle, no matter enterprise market to find new, innova- to build and use fiber optic networks. John which of these groups they might be in. tive features and applications. It is also can be reached at jschultz@u-rekabroad- Through broadband connections to the important for us as service providers to band.com

BROADBAND CONSTRUCTION | ENGINEERING | STRUCTURED WIRING SERVICES

Broadband Integration Group, LLC ("BIG") is committed to providing you, our customer, with the highest quality of: broadband construction, engineering and structured wiring services at fair and competitive prices and to ensure that you are completely satisfied with every aspect of your experience with our Company. For your next project we truly want you to "THINK BIG!"

For further inquiries, email [email protected]. For personal contact, call Mike Smith at 954 520 5169 or Ed Heuck at 843 422 9364.

Visit our website at www.broadbandintegrationgroup.com.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 31 Fiber Hereto the

Single Family | Multiple Dwelling Units | Business

You are here. So is ADC. No matter if you are an RLEC, ILEC, Municipality, Utility, Developer, MSO… No matter what customer segments you serve… No matter where you are with your deployment strategy… ADC can make your FTTP plan a reality.

To ﬁ nd out more about ADC’s comprehensive, best-in-class FTTP solutions, call 1.800.366.3891 or visit www.adc.com/fttp FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 1 North American Deployments

As the number of Fiber-to-the-Home communities and real estate developments passed the 2,000 mark in spring 2008, every region in the country stood to share in the bandwidth capacity, reliability and economic benefits of this future-proof technology.

Almost One-Quarter of All US Households Will be Passed by Fiber by 2011

30,000,000

25,000,000 25,000,000

20,000,000 20,000,000

15,000,000 15,500,000

11,000,000 10,000,000

6,099,000 7,000,000 5,000,000 3,625,000 1,619,500 - Dec-00 Dec-01 Dec-02 Dec-03 Dec-04 Dec-05 Dec-06 Dec-07 Dec-08 Dec-09 Dec-10 Dec-11

Source: BBP LLC

2 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Contents Reliability... Bandwidth... Affordability... Future-Proofing... Standards... Security... Economic Development... Sustainability... New Broadband Content and Services ... Higher Revenue... Why FTTH, Why Now?...... 4 Fiber and Bandwidth...... 6 FTTH Users’ Stories...... 8 The Inevitability of Bandwidth Growth...... 10 Applications for FTTH Providers: Beyond the Triple Play...... 12 FTTH and Sustainability: The Environmental Choice...... 15 Wanted: A Bigger Pipe...... 15 The Light Fantastic: Three Reasons Why...... 16 Builders, Real Estate Developers and FTTH...... 18 Focus on Municipal Priorities...... 22 Understanding the Technology in Greater Detail...... 24 Zeros and Ones – The Looming Bandwidth Need...... 26 FTTH in Comparison with Other Technologies...... 28 FTTH and Economic Development...... 31 FTTH Council Certification Program...... 32 This primer was originally written by Steven S. Ross and updated by him and by Masha Zager, both of the Broadband Properties staff. It summarizes research commissioned by the FTTH Council as well as independent reporting by the authors.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 3 Why FTTH, Why Now? iber to the home (FTTH) has become households a decade ago, or $850 a house- a reality. More than 6 million consum- hold ($1,500 in today’s dollars), with a tech- Fers now use direct fiber optic connec- nology that offers far less than FTTH in every tions to the home or building in the United respect – lower reliability, lower bandwidth, States, more than 13 million in Japan, and fewer connections inside the home. For less about 32 million worldwide. money the phone companies, public utilities and even some cable companies have been FTTH is widely recognized as the optimal installing future-proof fiber. solution for providing broadband to new The basic technological and economic and existing communities alike. In fact, sev- challenges of FTTH have been resolved. eral thousand FTTH communities are flour- Based on the immense capacity of fiber – al- ishing here. Why? FTTH offers more band- ready the foundation of the world’s telecom- width and more flexibility than alternatives, munications system – FTTH is now being de- at a similar price. It cost $84 billion for the ployed around the country and around the cable companies to pass about 100 million world. Almost all large developers are putting

4 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council fiber in their new developments. Larg- more if it has access to a public street, er telcos are deploying it in the cities water, and sewer services, public The Advantages and suburbs, and smaller telcos in the schools and other “utilities” than if it rural areas. Municipalities in the U.S. does not. In Sweden, homes with fiber of Fiber and elsewhere are finding FTTH can connections sell at a 5 to 10 percent This primer covers the key economic be a feasible solution today that posi- premium. As a result, residents there and technical issues surrounding tions their communities for tomor- and elsewhere in Europe actually are fiber to the home. When you’ve read row’s jobs and economic growth. willing to pay some of the capital costs it, we believe you will agree that: Even today, FTTH subscribers of getting connected. spend 20 to 30 percent more per month than DSL subscribers – not • FTTH – that is, fiber to the home because basic services are more ex- – is the only technology that will pensive (they aren’t), but because deliver enough bandwidth, reliably more and better premium services Real estate ads in Korea carry from one to four and at a low enough cost, to meet are available. stars to describe the bandwidth available. A the consumer demands of the For example, multiple simultane- four-star rating generally requires fiber. next decade. ous HD channels are difficult to implement over any medium but fiber; Just as people argue about “how • FTTH is affordable today, which 3DTV and high-definition video com- good is good” when it comes to roads is why hundreds of companies munications, which are coming up and schools, we argue about “how using hundreds of different busi- soon, will be even more of a struggle. much bandwidth is enough,” in what ness cases worldwide are racing to But optical fiber can handle any form the bandwidth should be provid- install it in thousands of locations. bandwidth demand with ease. In fact, ed and who might pay for it. Should it one bundle of fiber cable not much look like a “telephone” system, which • FTTH is the only technology that thicker than a pencil can carry ALL historically uses a network technol- will meet the needs of the foresee- of the world’s current communica- able future, when 3D, “holograph- tions traffic. ogy that differs from, say, an Ethernet home or office network? Or perhaps ic” high-definition television and it should look like the networks cable games (products already in use One bundle of companies have developed for deliv- in industry, and on the drawing fiber cable not much ering TV channels and other video. boards at big consumer electron- But if you are working in property ics firms) will be in everyday use. thicker than a pencil development, building residential or Think 20 to 30 gigabits per second business structures, why would you to each home in a decade. Cop- can carry ALL of equip your building with 120-year-old per can’t do even 1/1000th of that the world’s current copper technology that is already ob- bandwidth, and then not for more solescent, costs as much as (or more than a few hundred yards. communications traffic. than) fiber, and will be totally obsolete in just a few years? • FTTH is already delivering high- So why should there be any confu- If you help run a telecom or cable margin services that consumers sion about what FTTH offers? Dif- TV company, why would you cede are willing to pay far more for than ferent types of people have different your competitive advantage to build- traditional “cable TV.” things in mind when they talk about ers of fiber networks – networks that FTTH. are cheap to run, reliable, and can deliver premium services you can’t? • Consumers think about the prod- If you are a municipal official, can ucts and services they can get today. you explain to voters and local busi- They can’t demand services they nesses that your community will be don’t know about, or that have not bypassed by the successor to the In- been invented. terstate Highway System, the Infor- • Engineers talk about the potential mation Highway? bandwidth of fiber, which is virtu- And if you are a consumer, can you ally unlimited. afford to buy a home that will have • Political leaders, corporate econo- to be modified in a few years to ac- mists and academics think of fiber commodate that fancy new TV or the as a utility that will enable people to phone system your job demands? develop new products or start new In this primer, we explain the tech- kinds of businesses. nology in a way you, the nonspecial- Public infrastructure makes private ist, can understand. property more valuable. A house, for We want to communicate... The ad- instance, is generally worth much vantages of Fiber to the Home.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 5 Fiber and Bandwidth

Q: What is bandwidth? Equipping an existing A: In a network, bandwidth (what engineers call bit rate) is the ability to carry informa- fiber network with newer tion. The more bandwidth you have, the electronics and with lasers more information can be carried in a given amount of time. that pulse light faster, or lasers using different wavelengths of Q: How much bandwidth – or information – do we need? light, can vastly increase the available bandwidth without A: A standard-definition television signal requires a bandwidth of about 2 Mbps – two changing the fiber itself. million bits (zeros and ones) per second. That’s why fiber networks are HDTV requires as little as 4 Mbps if the image said to be “future proof.” is rather static – a person being interviewed, for instance. But fast action, such as some sporting events, requires more – as much as to a photo-sharing site. It normally takes even 8 Mbps, even with new compression technol- longer because the network sends extra bits ogy such as MPEG4. 3D immersive HDTV – a to help route the network traffic and to pro- technology already being used in some aca- vide security. At dialup speeds, it would take demic and industrial settings – will require at least 20 minutes to send one large image. 100 to 300 Mbps when it is widely sold to individual consumers, a few years from now. Q: Can’t copper carry high bandwidths, too? Q: What about data? A: Yes, copper can support high bandwidth, but only for a few hundred yards. The longer A: Bandwidth requirements are exploding for the distance the signal travels on copper, the many kinds of data. Some new digital cam- lower the bandwidth. Optical fiber is unique eras create images up to 40 megabytes before in that it can carry a high-bandwidth signal compression. At the speeds generally available to people using a cable modem or DSL, over enormous distances. even a picture compressed to 10 megabytes takes well over a minute to e-mail or upload Fiber uses laser light to carry the signal. Under most circumstances, the signal can travel at least 20 miles (33 kilometers) without degrading enough to keep it from being New digital cameras create received.

images up to 40 megabytes. What’s more, the equipment necessary to Even a compressed image can send the light signals keeps getting better. take more than a minute to So equipping an existing fiber network with newer electronics and with lasers that pulse upload at the speeds generally light faster, or lasers using different wave- available to people using a lengths of light, can vastly increase the available bandwidth without changing the fiber cable modem or DSL. itself. That’s why fiber networks are said to be “future proof.”

6 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Q: That sounds like magic. But isn’t from home and work effectively, you’ll fiber too new to trust? need more. And what about upload- If you have a cable ing a high-def video of the school play, A: Fiber has actually been used in or sitting down to dinner with family modem, with broadband communications networks for more members a thousand miles away? supplied by your cable than 30 years. But until 2002, it was operator, or if you have rarely used to deliver a signal directly Q: How close to the home does fiber to a home. Instead, it was – and still come in DSL and cable systems, and DSL, which converts is – relied upon to carry communica- why does that matter? your phone line into a tions traffic from city to city or country to country. Almost every country A: There is a marked relationship data pipeline, you are on earth has some fiber, delivering between distance and available band- already using fiber, but services reliably and inexpensively. width when you are using copper. The latest version of DSL is called not all the way to your In fact, if you have a cable modem, VDSL2. It can carry a signal of more home or business. with broadband supplied by your than 200 Mbps, but only for about cable operator, or if you have DSL, 750 feet. At a distance of 1,500 feet, which converts your phone line into it can carry a signal of only 100 Mbps. ago. But in the past few years, content a data pipeline, you are already us- Over a distance of a mile, it can de- that was expected, such as HDTV, and ing fiber. The fiber carries the signal liver only about 30 Mbps. And that’s content that was not predicted, such close enough to your home so that the theoretical limit. In practice the as peer-to-peer video (such as You- copper can carry it the rest of the way. real bandwidth is less. Tube), have simply outrun the ability But this approach requires expensive, of these older technologies to handle hard-to-maintain electronics where Q: Some telephone companies have the bandwidth needed. the fiber meets the copper. The avail- been promising fiber to the home able bandwidth is far less than an for a decade or more. But until Big cable companies are now begin- all-fiber network. And these halfway recently there hasn’t been any. Isn’t ning to shut off or slow down service, approaches do not allow symmetrical that because the technology is dif- or to impose prohibitive fees, when a bandwidth – existing cable and DSL ficult to master? customer exceeds a monthly “band- systems can download much faster width cap” of anywhere from than they can upload information. A: No, but until recently 40 to 250 gigabytes. it was more expen- While these Q: Isn’t that good enough? sive than other so- caps affect a lutions that offer small num- A: That depends on what you want to far less band- ber of cus- use your bandwidth for. If all you want width, such tomers today, is to send emails, download songs or as cable TV’s they limit con- share family photos, the bandwidth DOCSIS and the sumers’ use of provided by today’s cable modems and phone companies’ own new services like DSL lines may be good enough. If you DSL. Those older technologies movie downloads – want to log on to the corporate LAN were “good enough” until a few years which means that they limit the cable companies’ potential revenues from these new services.

Without FTTH, the cable companies simply can’t deliver enough bandwidth to allow everyone who wants them to take advantage of premium services.

Source: BBP LLC

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 7 FTTH Users’ Stories The Power Behind the Power Gamer

On any other Internet service, Sean Kim net applications at peak performance – espe- might be considered a “bandwidth hog.” cially his favorite multiplayer game, World of This Texan has been an early adopter of Warcraft. He explains, “Whenever you install every high-bandwidth application – music a new game, it makes you download all the downloads, online gaming, sharing digital patches that have accumulated since the CD photos and videos, and helping his wife set was burned, and that’s like 450 megabytes. up teleconferencing to keep up with friends Other players have to wait an hour for a down- halfway around the world. load to complete. I install the new game right now, patch it quick and kick it off.” Not surprisingly, Kim was the first The most important advantage is that Kim’s Video gaming revenue in his neighbor- video gaming no longer includes the dread- rivals Hollywood’s box hood to sign up ed “red bar” at the bottom of the screen – for Verizon’s FiOS an indicator that his Internet connection is office revenue – and fiber-to-the home not keeping him up to speed with his online service. “What’s opponents. Fiber’s blazing speed assures a online gamers like Sean cooler than fiber rapid ride to the online game site. He says, optics to your “With fiber, it’s always green so people want Kim are ratcheting it higher, house?” he asks. to play with me more. And if I join a game and someone lags, I can say ‘Hey, it’s not with the help of FTTH. Kim is thrilled that me, I’m on fiber so there’s no way I can lag.’” he can use Inter- And 3D games are already hereas well.

Bringing the Virtual Office Home

The luxury of working from home is no lon- muting with an FTTH connection than with ger a pipe dream now that the “big pipe” is other broadband solutions. And in a rough arriving at households across America. A sur- economy, many are starting their own busi- vey commissioned by the Fiber-to-the-Home nesses from home. Fiber helps enable it. Council found that more than 13 percent of FTTH subscribers say they were able to work Polo Morales works at a technical services from home more often – a monthly average company in the Virginia suburbs of Wash- of 7.3 more workdays at home. Some 59 per- ington, DC. Having worked previously for cent of these telecommuters said their em- a small company that built fiber optic networks, he understood the benefits of run- ployers were more favorable about telecom- ning fiber to the home. So when Verizon’s FiOS service became available in his neigh- More than 13 percent of borhood, he jumped at the chance.

FTTH subscribers say “It’s as fast as being actually in the build- they are able to work ing at work,” says Morales, who says that his fiber-to-the-home connection has enlarged from home more often – his opportunities to work from home. When a monthly average of 7.3 Morales had tried working at home via cable modem, service was not always reliable. His more workdays at home. wife Diann notes that, with several computer users in the family, “there would be a delay or

8 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council “We’ve gotten to a a lag if everybody was trying to get on point now where Virginia. Andrew, a lawyer, works one the Internet. We don’t have that now.” day a week from home, while Charity Internet service is like has several home-based businesses, Morales likes the flexibility fiber-to- your water or your including a bed-and-breakfast, a re- the-home gives him in balancing his tail store, and an eBay store. work and family responsibilities. “In sewer service or even the event that the kids get sick in the The Heatons’ fiber-to-the-home In- wintertime, it’s not a problem for me your electricity. People ternet connection gives Andrew the to stay home and work from home,” ability to telecommute and is the says Morales. “I’m still able to do all are building their lives backbone of their businesses. They the things like keep my calendar. I can and their livelihoods use it to manage reservations and set up conference calls and still have process payments for the bed-and- multiple folks participate in the con- around it and they breakfast, and Charity’s retail store ference calls so it’s not an issue. That sells some of its products through a allows me to stay home, take care of expect it to work and Web site. Her eBay business is entire- the kids and still actually go to work.” work easily.” ly Web-based. Brian Metelski has become as pro- “The Internet is critical to our busi- ductive from his home office in the ber optic connection either “very im- nesses,” says Andrew. “Charity is not Dallas-Fort Worth area as he would really interested in the details of tech- be at his employer’s premises. It’s all portant” or “somewhat important” to their business activities. nology. Having an Internet service about the bandwidth, Metelski says: that works and is reliable is impor- “Our FiOS service enables us to work Ralph Randell, a telecommunica- tant to her. [Before getting FTTH] I from home virtually with our PCs and would get calls when I was out of town our VoIP phone and any other appli- tions engineer in Coppell, Texas, says saying, ‘The Internet service went cations we want running along with his FiOS fiber-to-the-home service out, what do I do?’ And I’d have to TV and along with everything else.” makes a big difference to his home- based business. Randell regularly try to walk her through how to do the connections when I wasn’t even there. His employer provides Metelski with a downloads large RFP files that were And that is a very difficult thing to virtual private network tunnel inside problematic to download via DSL. do.” Andrew says they have not had a VoIP telephone connection, which He also uses videoconferencing with to perform one of their “Internet fire registers to a secure gateway back at colleagues and potential customers. drills” even once in the year since they the office building. “That’s very important, that we have a high-quality connection for videocon- switched over to fiber. As much as he loves the new arrange- ferencing over the Internet,” he says. ment, Metelski says his employer He adds, “We’ve gotten to a point now seems to love it more. “Because they Randell’s three teenagers all like to where Internet service is like your wa- know that when we’re working from access online video, music and games ter or your sewer service or even your home, we can have our office phone – usually at the same time. With his electricity. People are building their here. We can have our office applica- FTTH service, it no longer mat- lives and their livelihoods around tions here. It’s like I’m sitting in an of- ters how many of his kids and their it and they expect it to work and fice. The only times you can tell I’m at friends are using their laptops in his work easily.” home is when you hear my daughter home – the response from the Web or my son in the background saying, is instantaneous and he can continue Back in Northern Virginia, scene of ‘Daddy, can you change the channel his work undisturbed. some of worst rush-hour commutes on the TV?’” in the country, Polo Morales reflects And there’s a family dividend. He on the larger implications of telecom- For Americans who operate home- now spends less time in the morn- muting: based businesses, the quality, speed ing downloading files to prepare for and reliability of Internet service morning meetings, and that enables “If you consider that the bandwidth can be the key to business success. him to have breakfast with his kids. and the connectivity provides you A survey commissioned by the Fiber- Fifteen-year-old Katie says, “He’s a lot with the ability to work from home, to to-the-Home Council found 10 per- happier and a lot more chipper in the do telecommuting, that facilitates less cent of FTTH subscribers using their morning now.” traffic, less driving on the roads, right? high-speed connections to run home- And if for whatever reason you can’t based businesses, with 90 percent of Andrew and Charity Heaton live with go work, you can potentially still get these calling the high-bandwidth fi- their four children outside Leesburg, your work done. So it’s an enabler.”

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 9 The Inevitability of Bandwidth Growth

ll too often, we think of increased cesses have dazzled, bemused and annoyed bandwidth as a matter of speed. It lets us. YouTube appeared in February 2005 – and Aus do things faster. Send an e-mail quickly became one of the five largest users message. View a Web site. But the real value of bandwidth on earth, and the largest single of bandwidth is that it lets us do entirely new user of Internet bandwidth. Now it is starting things with our computers, cameras, televi- to distribute HDTV-quality video. sions – with our network.

What are these new things? We have the be- ginnings of glimpses of many of them. In the past few years, we have seen such new products and services as:

• Voice over Internet Protocol telephones. They’re not only cheaper for the consumer, they are better. Many VoIP providers allow incoming callers to find the line you are on, and easily leave messages – text and video as well as voice – where you can easily pick them up. • Video on the Web, and on mobile devices. We have every reason to think the innova- • Internet-enabled cameras that upload pho- tion will continue and that our need for ever tos and videos to Web sites with built-in more bandwidth will grow. Only fiber to the Web browsers. home will be able to deliver it. In fact, only • User-created video so grandparents can see fiber can reliably deliver that bandwidth now, the children, or so a budding comedian or to meet current needs. musician can develop an audience. • Internet-enabled picture frames that auto- We have absolutely no reason to think inno- matically display photos sent via e-mail. vation will stop. When Thomas Edison built the world’s first central-station electrical gen- Entirely new and unforeseen product suc- erating plants, electric lighting was the “killer app.” Although Edison would later invent hundreds of prod- Although Edison would later invent ucts that use electricity, he was hundreds of products that use electricity, not thinking about air condi- he was not thinking about air conditioning tioning for private homes when he built the first electricity dis- for private homes when he built the first tribution network. Nor was he electricity distribution network. Nor thinking about dishwashers, refrigerators, computers or was he thinking about dishwashers, those rechargeable batteries refrigerators, computers or those for your iPod, mobile phones rechargeable batteries for your iPod, and cameras. mobile phones and cameras. The least expensive desktops today come with 160 GB hard

10 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council the dialup speeds still used by one of every ten American households in 2008, it would Think hundreds of take more than 90 hours to move those images to a re- thousands – even mote location. millions – of TV Think about the speeds fiber to the home (FTTH) makes “channels” from all possible. TV manufacturers over the world. Wall of LCD screens at University of California at San have. New sets coming onto Diego allows worldwide “telepresence.” the market starting in early 2007 display wide-screen high- drives, because everyday users need definition video from the local cable the file space. And if they need the or phone company – and also from file space, they also need to send files the Internet. And users don’t have to of comparable size. “think Internet” to get the TV show they want. They just check out what’s And what about digital images? Users available using their TV remote. 3D- get annoyed when network speeds lag capable sets appeared in 2009. behind local connection speeds. Us- ing your computer’s USB port, it takes Think hundreds of thousands – even about half a minute to move a 2 GB millions – of fiber-enabled TV “chan- memory card’s worth of digital pic- nels” from all over the world. Many tures (or an hour of TV-quality video) vendors already have, and are offer- to your hard drive. At common DSL ing add-on services or appliances to and cable-modem upload speeds, sort them out for watching on con- it would still take 5 to 10 hours. At sumers’ TVs.

Source: BBP LLC

The least expensive desktops today come with 100 GB hard drives, because everyday users need the file space. And if they need the file space, they also need to send files of comparable size.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 11 Applications for FTTH Providers: Beyond the Triple Play

Network builders are not investing in adults living independently for longer, and fiber to the home only so they can prepare it is a boon for the “sandwich generation” for future bandwidth needs and appeal to that is responsible for caring for both their “early adopters” who want to live the con- children and their elders while holding nected lifestyle. Fiber offers other advan- down full-time jobs. tages in the here and now: New broadband Community-based security systems applications are coming onto the market consist of linked IP videocameras and sen- every day, and many of them present oppor- sors stationed on light poles and buildings tunities for use or resale by fiber providers. around a neighborhood. These systems Most of these applications can operate on identify and track intruders, and can auto- lower-bandwidth networks, but not with the matically notify owners, security companies, same degree of performance, security and and sometimes police. Community-based reliability as they do on fiber. systems may be more effective than individ- These new applications fall into several ual home security systems because they trig- categories. Some help differentiate fiber- ger alarms even before a home intrusion oc- to-the-home communities; some generate curs, and they are less invasive of residents’ additional revenue streams for providers or privacy. Fiber networks support the broad- help retain customers; still others can be cast and recording of very-high-resolution used by providers or property developers to photos that are more useful for deterring manage their assets more efficiently. (Some and apprehending intruders. of the applications can be classified in more Social applications use the fiber infra- than one group, of course.) structure to build a sense of community – an Following are some examples. important function in a new development. They can range from social networking sites Differentiating Your Community focused on the community to intranet sites Only a few years ago, fiber-connected devel- featuring local news and events, to Web- opments were so rare that fiber to the home based or IPTV video channels broadcasting was a unique selling local athletic contests, artistic productions point for develop- and political discussions. Because they can Telehealth helps ers. Today, fiber has be interactive, they easily trump conven- become the norm tional “public access” stations on cable. keep older adults living in new develop- Arts and educational applications use ments, especially in high-end videoconferencing in community independently – a boon new master-planned centers, outdoor arenas or children’s play communities, ac- centers to bring live performances, virtual for those who care for cording to market museum tours, music lessons, book readings researcher Mike and other interactive events into the com- both their children and Render. In order to munity. Residents can experience the ben- further differentiate efits of big-city life without its drawbacks. their elders while their communities, Concierge and home-automation ser- developers are now vices take advantage of the local fiber networking full time. seeking applications work to make residents’ lives more comfort- to leverage their fi- able and convenient. Cameras that recognize ber infrastructure. residents’ cars entering the community can Telehealth gives residents instant access alert parking attendants and security per- to medical specialists via videoconferenc- sonnel, and then turn on lights and heating ing from the home, the fitness center or the or air-conditioning at home. Residents can community room. The videoconferencing connect with a single click to community may be integrated with Internet-enabled services and preferred providers, calling to diagnostic devices (blood pressure cuffs, schedule a dry-cleaning pickup, pizza deliv- respiration measurement, etc.), electronic ery or home repair. medical records systems, online prescrip- Mobility is easier to accommodate with tion services, and online appointment a robust fiber-to-the-home network. Using scheduling. Telehealth helps keep older the backhaul afforded by FTTH, providers

12 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Convergence applications that send Caller ID or text messages to the television or the New fiber-enabled PC, or even allow users to ini- tiate calls via the TV remote in broadband applications response to a TV ad, make the triple play or quad play more reduce customer churn, compelling. Today’s consumers want to be connected all of lower expenses by the time and want to be able Camera used for community to use any device for any pur- keeping more traffic security application. pose. Convergence is the next phase of the mobile, always- in-network, and create can offer WiFi connections to resi- on lifestyle. dents in indoor and outdoor public Online storage allows new revenue streams. spaces throughout the community. customers to store their data Residents can bring their laptops to files on the Internet, access the pool, check e-mail from the laun- them from anywhere and vice that providers use to deliver lin- dry room, or listen to their Internet share them with others. When users ear channels, or it may be provided radio in the gym. had only word-processing documents as a separate service for customers to worry about, storage was less of a who don’t want linear TV channels. Generating New concern. Now that physical media are Stand-alone VoD generally includes Revenue Streams disappearing and many users have an Internet-connected set-top box Customers have become used to large collections of music, photo- that can download and store the mov- purchasing “over-the-top” Internet graphs, and video in digital formats, ies and TV shows selected by the cus- services like Skype or iTunes, but of- secure storage, easy access and con- tomer, as well as software for choos- ten they’re happier to deal directly trolled sharing have become much ing and ordering the shows and, of with network providers whom they more important. course, agreements with content pro- know and trust. Broadband provid- Home security, like many other viders to make the shows available. ers of all kinds have begun offering technologies, is migrating from ana- Videoconferencing is almost a variety of applications to their cus- log to digital form. Digitally-based universally available today through a tomers through Web portals, often variety of free or low-cost Web-based at lower prices than the customers home security allows residents to services, but it is still not widely used could obtain by purchasing these ser- control settings, receive alerts and vices directly. view their homes via the Internet or because it is cumbersome and the These applications serve several cell phone. It also supports a far wid- quality is often poor. Fiber to the purposes: They reduce customer er range of sensors – not only tradi- home, because of its high upstream churn; they lower expenses by keep- tional motion detectors but cameras, bandwidth, presents several opportu- ing more traffic in-network; and they water detectors, smoke detectors and nities for providers to make higher- create new revenue streams. Fiber- many others. Because digital security quality videoconferencing available to-the-home providers, which don’t uses wiring that is already installed to customers. Providers can offer have to aim for the lowest common for broadband, it is inexpensive to specialized videophones, with a vid- denominator because their systems install and makes economic sense for eophone subscription service, for have virtually unlimited capacity, renters as well as homeowners. consumers who prefer stand-alone de- have a far wider choice of applica- Video on Demand is sometimes vices. They can offer PC- or TV-based tions for resale. offered as part of the same video ser- videoconferencing with more features

Home security devices.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 13 than the free services provide. Or, if they have installed high-end videoconferencing equipment in public areas (see “Differentiating Your Community”) they can sell time – and guaranteed quality of service – on those systems to individual customers. Unlike desktop video, high- end videoconferencing and telepresence are becoming accept- Remote music lessons. able alternatives to business travel even for important meetings. applications also help owners communicate Targeted advertising, although it is sold with tenants and employees. to advertisers rather than subscribers, still Guarding the construction site can be represents an important revenue stream for managed through IP-based video surveil- FTTH providers. One mechanism is through lance. Asset tagging helps prevent theft or IPTV, which lets providers insert ads based misplacement of equipment, and tags worn on nearly any criteria. While cable TV ads by employees help make sure people are are usually differentiated by zip code, IPTV where they’re authorized to be. Videocon- ads can be sent to households with certain ferencing allows construction managers to demographic criteria, or to households (or make virtual site inspections more frequently even individual TV sets) with certain viewing than they could make physical inspections. patterns. Another potential source of adver- Energy management can also be broad- tising dollars is t-commerce, where television band-enabled. Motion sensors, intelligent viewers can click the remote on an ad – or thermostats and automated ventilation even a product placement in a television show equipment can keep public spaces and un- – and either see more information about the occupied units at appropriate temperatures; product or actually order the product. applications that monitor and analyze energy usage help owners find opportunities Property Management to shift loads to nonpeak times and reduce Broadband is enabling owners to control overall energy usage. Broadband-enabled their properties and assets more efficiently applications also help reduce water usage. than ever before. The addition of broad- Utility applications like automated me- band – especially the ter reading, SCADA and outage investiga- high-capacity, high- tion greatly reduce the costs of operating Fiber-enabled, reliability broadband electric utilities. These “Smart Grid” ap- that fiber enables – plications are a major reason that electric high-capacity, high- turns “smart” build- utilities across the country are now building ings into “genius” fiber infrastructures. reliability broadband turns buildings, accord- Online work order scheduling helps ing to one industry property managers be more responsive to “smart” buildings into expert. Internet-en- their tenants, while reducing operating ex- abled sensors and ap- penses. Tenants can request repairs at any “genius” buildings, saving plications automate time – not just when the office is open or work that was once they can find the super – and management on energy, maintenance done by maintenance personnel can deal with problems that re- crews – and do it quire personal attention, rather than rou- and security. more quickly and ac- tine requests. Tenants can be automatically curately. Broadband notified when work is completed.

14 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council FTTH and Sustainability: The Environmental Choice

Fiber’s impact on the environment annual savings, but almost all studies • Distance learning, which reduces is certainly positive, according to a show a positive impact. Savings on travel for educational purposes. PricewaterhouseCoopers study com- gasoline (both for the avoided com- About three-quarters of the missioned by the FTTH Council and mute and for those who would enjoy greenhouse gas emissions come from released in October 2008. Even with less congestion on the highways) are the manufacture of active network low assumptions about take rates, the partially offset by extra electricity use equipment, PricewaterhouseCoopers greenhouse gases that are produced at home, and by the power used to found. in constructing equipment and de- run the network. After the network is constructed, ploying the network are balanced by Savings are likely to increase in telecommuting saves more than tri- the savings from increased telecom- the future as the uses of broadband ple the amount of greenhouse gases muting in about five years. networks expand. For example, Price- released by powering the network. That’s an annual carbon-reduc- waterhouseCoopers did not consider PricewaterhouseCoopers also ex- tion dividend of close to 20 percent. other energy-saving applications amined how FTTH deployment affect- Other environmental impacts are such as: ed resource depletion, air acidifica- recouped in time periods ranging • Telepresence, which is beginning tion, algae growth in the oceans, and from one to six years, according to to replace a significant amount of the release of toxins into the environ- the report. business travel; ment. By every measure, FTTH had a The report examined an “aver- • Cloud computing, which enables beneficial environmental impact. age” American FTTH deployment. data centers to be located near A more complete presentation The impact of any actual network sources of alternative energy; of the report’s results can be found would be slightly different from the • Smart Grid applications, which at www.ftthcouncil.org/UserFiles/ typical case that was studied. make electricity generation and File/PWC_FTTH_Sustainabil- Earlier studies have shown smaller distribution far more efficient; or ity%20Report%20FINAL.pdf

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FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 15 The Light Fantastic: Three Reasons

Fiber optic cable carries information by carry- signal in copper wire or coax increases, the ing pulses of light. The pulses are turned on bandwidth decreases. Short lengths of coax, and off very, very fast. Multiple streams of infor instance – the lengths typically found in a formation can be carried on the same fiber at small building – can carry 1 Gbps if the coax the same time by using multiple wavelengths network is well designed. – colors – of light. That’s a thousand times more bandwidth The pulses of light are usually created by than typical broadband service using DSL lasers (some short-range fiber systems use over copper wire, and 200 times more than LEDs). The equipment to do that keeps get- typical broadband over cable TV coax. But ting faster, so the same old fiber can be used those speeds are impossible over longer dis- to carry ever more information. New equip- tances. The closer fiber gets to a building, ment is just slipped in. the faster the service that is available to the building’s residents and businesses. Service The ability to carry information is called band- providers have been bringing fiber closer width. Lots of bandwidth allows lots of infor- and closer for years, and now they are bring- mation to be carried. Fiber has a lot of advan- ing it inside end-users’ buildings. For cable tages over copper wire or coaxial cable, as it is companies, a technology called RFOG brings easier to maintain and delivers far more band- fiber all the way to the premises as well. width. Three of the biggest advantages are: Fiber cable is thin. It can, in fact, be Signals travel a long distance inside made thinner than a human hair. It can fiber cable without degradation – 20 2be carried on a thin ribbon, or inside a 1miles or more under some circumstanc- “microduct” of hollow plastic only an eighth es. By contrast, as the distance traveled by a of an inch wide. One typical fiber cable con-

16 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council figuration with about 200 super-thin strands is about the thickness of a standard coax cable. That fiber cable could theoretically carry enough bandwidth to handle all the information being sent on Earth at any one time today. The bottom line: Fiber can be “hidden” easily on the surfaces of walls in old construction.

It is also flexible and rugged. In 2007, many vendors introduced fiber that is tough enough to be stapled to walls by installers, and flexible enough to be bent around sharp corners. Such fiber has been available for years, but had been difficult and expensive to manufacture. Optical fibers made of polymers – plastics – are now starting to be deployed for indoor networks.

Once installed, fiber is upgraded by changing the electronics 3that creates the light pulses, and not by replacing the cable itself. The the apartments or business premises tion prices so reasonable, that go- fiber is amazingly reliable. Nothing within the building. ing straight to FTTH makes more hurts it except a physical cut, or the Where the population density is low, economic sense in destruction of the building it is in. or where high-quality coaxial cable or most situations. copper networks exist, it may make Even in rural Passive optical networks, or PONs, are sense under some circumstances to areas, hun- the most common type of network. bring fiber only partway to the cus- dreds of net- They use a minimum of electron- tomer. The fiber is then connected to work builds ics. In fact, there are no electronics the existing copper for the last jump have chosen at all between the provider’s central to users’ premises. FTTH over office and users. This improves net- FTTN and work reliability and cuts deployment copper. In costs. But optical networks that do rural set- require electronics in the field have tings, FTTH some advantages as well, especially usually costs when a network is built to carry con- more to build, tent from multiple providers on the but the builders same fiber. Either way, the amount of can expect much power needed to run a fiber network is far less than that needed to run a higher revenue coax or other copper network. This from customers. aids reliability and contributes to sustainability as well. In the US until recently, single-family homes have been the easiest to equip As we noted, bandwidth providers are with FTTH. Apartment buildings and increasingly bringing fiber optics all As time goes on, fiber is moved closer other multiple-dwelling-unit (MDU) the way to customer premises. That and closer to the customers, to pro- structures in the US started to be technology, FTTH or fiber to the vide more bandwidth. That approach served with FTTH in really large num- home (also called FTTP, for fiber to is called FTTN for fiber to the “neigh- bers only in 2006. the premises) is the “gold standard.” borhood” or “node” or (for greater Almost as good – at least for the bandwidth) fiber to the curb (FTTC). MDU fiber service is already common short term – is bringing fiber to the in Europe and Asia, however. Thus, basement of a building (FTTB) and Today, the looming bandwidth needs there is no “technology risk” in specify- distributing it over copper wires to are so large, and FTTH construc- ing FTTH now, in any circumstance.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 17 Builders, Real Estate Developers and FTTH

Virtually every large developer of single-family homes, condominiums and rental properties has an active program to add FTTH to new properties. Most are working on retrofit- ting older properties as well. That work has expanded as new home sales have fallen.

What do the major players know that not all smaller developers realize?

Before the boom ended, Michael Render of RVA LLC estimated, on the basis of surveying home buyers and developers, that FTTH adds about $5,000 to the price of a home (see chart). The size of the increase is less certain now, but it is clear that FTTH homes sell faster.

Nevertheless, some smaller developers were on the sidelines until recent- FTTH Homes Passed, March 2009 ly. That’s now changing. By mid-2006 (Cumulative, North America) it was clear that FTTH was economi- 16,000,000 15,170,900 cally viable in new developments with 14,000,000 13,825,000 as few as 80 MDU living units or 100 12,000,000 11,763,000 single-family homes. That number 10,000,000 9,552,300 has continued to fall due to improve- 8,000,000 8,003,000 6,099,000 ments in deployment technology. 6,000,000 4,000,000 3,625,000 4,089,000 As fiber and fiber deployment costs 2,000,000 35,700 110,000 189,000 2,696,846 19,400 72,100 180,300 1,619,500 970,000 0 have continued to come down and Sep-01 Mar-02 Sep-02 Mar-03 Sep-03 Mar-04 Sep-04 Mar-05 Sep-05 Mar-06 Sep-06 Mar-07 Sep-07 Mar-08 Sep-08 Mar-09 copper costs have increased, fiber has achieved cost parity with copper Source: RVA LLC in nearly all new construction – even without taking the added home value into account.

FTTH Homes Marketed, March 2009 (Cumulative, North America)

14,000,000 13,875,600 13,000,000 12,369,000 12,000,000 11,000,000 10,000,000 10,082,065 9,000,000 8,000,000 7,996,400 7,000,000 6,643,000 6,000,000 5,000,000 5,079,999 4,000,000 3,218,600 3,000,000 2,000,000 1 1,754,300 1,000,000 0,000 189,000 413,22 829,700 0 19,400 35,700 72,100 11 180,300 Sep-01 Mar-02 Sep-02 Mar-03 Sep-03 Mar-04 Sep-04 Mar-05 Sep-05 Mar-06 Sep-06 Mar-07 Sep-07 Mar-08 Sep-08 Mar-09 Source: RVA LLC

18 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council FTTH Homes Connected, March 2009 (Cumulative, North America)

5,000,000 4,500,000 4,422,000

4,000,000 3,760,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,912,500 2,500,000 2,142,000 2,000,000 1,478,597 1,500,000

1,000,000 0 0 1,011,000 500,000 671,000 213,00 312,700 64,700 78,000 146,50 548,000 - 5,500 10,350 22,500 38,000 Sep-01 Mar-02 Sep-02 Mar-03 Sep-03 Mar-04 Sep-04 Mar-05 Sep-05 Mar-06 Sep-06 Mar-07 Sep-07 Mar-08 Sep-08 Mar-09 Source: RVA LLC

Approximate Annual Growth in FTTH Subscribers 250%

213% 2006 200% 2007

150%

112%

100% 82%

55% 50% 35% 20%

0% USA Japan Europe

Source: RVA Market Research

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 19 Questions Real Estate Developers Ask About FTTH

Q: Can’t this wait a few years? The real estate industry is going through tough times, and I certainly do not want to add to the price of a home in a weak market.

A: The data are clear: Building homes that are wired for high bandwidth, and providing access to FTTH, has allowed homes to be sold for more money. What’s more, FTTH homes sell faster than non-FTTH homes in the same market. In good times this may translate into a greater profit, but it’s even more important in bad times. If few homes are being sold, you can bet that homes with high-bandwidth amenities will sell faster. Others may not sell at all.

Q: My architects, contractors, technicians and building managers are all used to coax. At the point in construction that the coax should be installed, I call the guys up and they come and lay wiring. FTTH is new to them. Do I need to hire an engineering firm to design the installation?

A: Until recently, most FTTH systems were engineer-designed. But in the last few years the balance has tipped toward less formal design regimes, thanks to increasing standardization, the growth of distributor-supplied design help and an expanding corps of qualified technicians. There were almost 250 American colleges with courses for fiber technicians by the end of 2007, almost double the number of the year before. By the end of 2008, the number had grown to more than 350. Overall, the various FTTH technologies differ only in detail, with one or another offering advantages in specific situations.

Fiber does need to be “engineered” in very large apartment complexes – that’s true for coax, too. But smaller installations, as with smaller corporate LANs, will not need that kind of sophistication to work well.

Q: What about other labor on my construction site? I hear that fiber is rather fragile and can be damaged before walls and trenches are closed.

A: The fiber itself is very, very thin – thinner than a human hair. But fiber vendors have evolved many ways to protect the fibers from harm. Cable can be armored to ward off cuts. Contractors can route inexpensive “microduct” – hollow plastic tubes as little as three-eighths of an inch in diameter – through walls before the walls are closed in with drywall or other materials. The microducts are easily repairable. After everything else is done, thin fiber can be “blown” through the microduct for hundreds of feet.

Q: Do any building codes pertain to fiber? The stuff seems inert.

A: Yes, all the regular fire and life safety issues apply. For instance, just as copper with PVC installation would be considered a life-safety hazard because of the combustion products produced when it burns, so would various plastics used in fiber that is meant for outside installation. Indoors, look for LSZH ca- Typical fiber distribution bles (it stands for Low Smoke Zero cabinet or “hub.” It Halogen). If you are using thin can be placed anywhere plastic “microduct” that fiber can outside, because it needs no electric power. later be blown through, it should be labeled Halogen-Free Flame Retardant. You use a simple junction box to change

20 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Percent of Homes Passed with FTTH in First-Year Master Planned Communities 50% 45% 40%

30%

23% 20%

10% 11% 7% 8% 2% 0% Network connections built into the wall. 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 This one is next to a kitchen counter in Loma Linda, California. from “outside” to “inside” wiring, just as you might with electrical cables. You should expect users to desire And of course, check with your local broadband connections in virtually any room building code inspector. Aside from fire issues, codes may govern where in the house – bedrooms, office-dens, fiber ONTs (the boxes that convert pulses of light from the fiber into elec- the kitchen. That’s because Internet connections trical signals for your computer or TV) are placed on the outside walls or in these days accommodate telephones, common areas. A few municipalities specify where in the home the network televisions, electronic picture frames connections should be placed. connected to your home computer, and of Q: I’m building new single-family and residential MDU structures, course the computer itself. and we’ve made the decision to add FTTH. Where should we put the users’ network connections, assuming Q: In a single-family home, I often A: Optical fiber cannot conduct elec- there is no specific building code or see the ONT box hung onto the out- tricity. Thus, to keep the network con- “guidance” document covering that? side wall. Is that the only way? nection running at times electricity has been cut, you need a battery at A: You should expect users to desire A: No. In harsh climates, for instance the user premises. This may change broadband connections in virtually – where heat or heavy snow could as cellular phones replace landlines. any room in the house – bedrooms, affect the outside installation - you This has already happened in most office-dens, the kitchen. That’s be- will probably want to put the ONT of Europe, so backup batteries are cause Internet connections these indoors. You can now buy ONTs that unheard-of there. But here, we have days accommodate telephones, tele- are small, portable units, more like many standard designs for in-wall, visions, set-top boxes, digital picture cable or DSL modems, and connect between-stud boxes that hold the bat- frames, and of course computers. You them to the network with tough, flex- tery, ONT, and fiber connections. should also think about home secur ible fiber that can be laid anywhere. ity, monitors for fire, smoke, and your Q: Is lightning a problem with fiber? other household utilities. And, down Q: I hear that ONTs require a back- the road, what about that telemedi- up battery. Why is that? When the A: No. In fact, because fiber does not cine connection to your refrigerator power goes out, after all, the phone conduct electricity, lightning strikes or the alarm in your bathroom? usually keeps working. do not affect fiber at all.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 21 Focus on Municipal Priorities

Municipal officials face many issues with FTTH. Should they build their own network, or invite corporate providers in? Should they go for FTTH, or settle for something less? And what about wireless? Should they just ignore the whole issue and hope it will go away?

Key Questions Municipal Officials Ask

Q: Nearby towns and new housing new FTTH transitional technology for cable developments are beginning to install companies called RFOG (for Radio Fre- FTTH, and local real estate agents say that quency, or RF, over Glass.” It is more com- property values in my town suffer because patible with existing cable networks than is homes and businesses do not have access “conventional” FTTH. RFOG networks can to FTTH. But the franchise cable operator eventually be converted to conventional offers 8 Mbps and says 50 Mbps or more is FTTH at low cost, too. becoming available in some locations using DOCSIS 3.0. And the local phone company Q: My town’s residents are just like others says it will be bringing in FTTN with VDSL. in the region, and maybe have even slightly Isn’t that good enough? higher incomes. Why don’t the phone and cable companies consider them attractive A: It may be good enough for the next few customers for FTTH? years, but it sounds like it will be installed just as broadband needs will increase beyond what DOCSIS and FTTN can deliver. A: A few cable companies are installing FTTH. Many telephone companies and Q: But they tell me both use fiber. independent broadband providers are do- Is that true? ing the same. But the companies operating in your town may be following an overall A: It is true, but not fiber all the way to the policy they think will work for them. home. The last 1,000 to 5,000 feet from the fiber’s endpoint to the home is copper – Q: The telephone company that operates coaxial cable in the case of DOCSIS, plain here is installing FTTH in the new copper wire for VDSL. That limits band- development just 10 miles up the road. width, reliability and versatility. There is a Why not here?

22 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council streets and sidewalks. In addition, choosing programs more consistent The telephone many cities already have usable fiber and easier to follow. But there may be under their streets, fiber that is not less content and services variety. company that operates being used to its limit. Q: What about WiFi or WiMAX? here is installing FTTH Q: What might I do to get fiber to Some companies will even come in my residents, without building my and provide basic wireless service in the new development own network? We might qualify for free to residents. Isn’t that a good federal stimulus funds. But my town substitute for fiber? just 10 miles up the has too much debt now to borrow more, and we have no experience A: WiFi and WiMAX are important road. Why not here? operating a municipal utility. public amenities. But they are not substitutes for FTTH. They comple- A: You might try lobbying the incum- ment and extend a fixed fiber net- bents – the cable and telephone compa- work. They can’t replace it, however. A: It is usually easier to install fiber in nies serving your town now. You could No new businesses or other economic new developments than in existing offer such incentives as a reduced fran- activities are generated by wireless, ones. The fiber goes into the same chise fee, access to public property, or and wireless networks covering wide trenches that have to be dug anyway an accelerated permitting process. You areas are not reliable enough to de- for water, electricity and sewer ser- might also invite outside companies to liver video and other broadband service. In fact, copper wiring usually consider bringing FTTH to your resi- vices that are emerging – although can’t be run that way, so fiber is usual- dents. In Europe, public-private part- serving individual homes in rural ly cheaper. Also, the new residents are nerships are common, and are the areas with point-to-point wireless, not already tied to a cable or phone norm for the biggest projects such as where running fiber might still be too provider, so whoever installs a FTTH those bringing fiber to all homes in expensive, can work well. Also, virtu- network in a new community has an Amsterdam and Vienna. In such part- ally all the companies that promised easier road to signing up customers. nerships, the municipality and private to build “free” municipality-wide WiFi enterprises own the new fiber network networks have reneged. The business That’s why most new, large housing together. There’s no reason it can’t be model simply did not work for en- developments are being equipped done in North America, but it rarely tire cities and towns. It may, however, with fiber. is. Many states already subsidize broad- work in targeted areas such as com- band to libraries, schools and colleges; mercial shopping streets. Q: Would installing fiber require that these existing broadband networks my streets be dug up? can be starting points for adding fiber Q: Where could I go to find out to the home. more? I can’t tell my voters the A: It depends. Many network builders advantages of fiber, except to in North America use “aerial” fiber, Q: Are we giving something up by support higher property values, installed on poles along with existing allowing one utility to run a network unless I have examples. telephone, electric, and cable wiring. and provide content at the same time? In areas where trenching is impracti- What about open-access networks? A: There are several conferences and cal, contractors can often use hori- academic organizations you could try. zontal drilling, or pull fiber through A: There is no clear answer. Open- The FTTH Council, www.ftthcouncil. existing ducts, water pipes, sewers access networks, where the network org, has an annual meeting and and gas lines rather than digging up builder (either a municipal or a pri- monthly webinars. vate entity) “rents” bandwidth to a potentially unlimited number of content providers, have worked WiFi and WiMAX in many locations. They are more common in Europe and Asia than are important public in the United States. But they have worked here as well. At present amenities. But they are not here, they tend to be municipal networks, or networks built by companies that specialize in bringing substitutes for FTTH. They fiber to new buildings and subdivi- sions. When the same organization complement and extend a provides content and maintains fixed fiber network. They Distribution box for fiber lashed to the network – as is more typical in existing aerial cable; this method is the US – the network tends to be quick and inexpensive. more reliable and the interfaces for can’t replace it, however.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 23 Understanding the Technology in Greater Detail

In FTTH, much of the alphabet soup of ac- ronyms has to do with devices that convert electrical signals that travel in wires, to pulses of light for the fiber and back again. Here’s what you might want to know so you can understand the technical jargon. Let’s start at the beginning of a fiber network.

OLT stands for Optical Line Terminal. OLTs put the pulses on the fiber in the first place. Because they are located in telephone exchanges and other network “central offices,” residents and property owners rarely fairly close to the building, or even into the see them. basement or a central area on your property. A DOCSIS node, fed by fiber, then distrib- ONTs are Optical Network Terminals. They utes the signal to individual households over are also sometimes called ONUs, for Optical coax. One node typically feeds 100 to 500 Network Units. In networks just beginning to homes. But an RFOG micro-node may serve be built by cable companies they are called only one. RFOG micro-nodes. They are the devices at the consumer end that turn the light pulses back into electrical signals. Usually, customers will have equipment such as computers that expect an Ethernet connection. This is a standard way of networking that’s used around the world. Your computers, and usually your home wireless system, use Ethernet. Ethernet connectors are built into virtually all computers that have been sold in this decade. So a typical ONT turns the light pulses into Ethernet signals.

Pedestals and larger fiber distribution hubs are enclosures close to the user premises. They can hold the beam splitters that take the signal from one fiber that extends back to the central office, and divides it (typically 8:1 up to 32:1 but as much as 64:1) among fibers that go to individual dwelling units. In the United States the ONTs are typically inside cigar-box sized enclosures on the outside Pedestals and hubs can be below ground, walls of houses or apartments. But they can be above ground (they often look like short made smaller than a deck of cards, and can posts or squat air-conditioner-size boxes), or be used inside customer premises as well. attached to buildings. Connections and splits can also be made in boxes hung under roof You’ll also hear about the point of presence, eaves, in attics or basements, on telephone or POP. That’s the point at which the signal poles, or on what look like power lines or from multiple customers joins the rest of the phone lines. For best reliability, many con- extended network. tractors bring two fibers into each dwelling unit from the pedestal, rather than one. The Hybrid fiber coax, or HFC, is the cable com- fibers leading from the hub or pedestal to pany’s coax, with fiber bringing the signal the user premises is called the drop cable.

24 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Network Standards Delivering There are many standards-setting bodies that serve the networking indus- Services to try. Foremost among them is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE. This group, international in reach but American- based, is concerned with how signals are sent, managed, interpreted and End users kept secure. All pulses of light look the same to fiber, and to consumers’ equipment. The common WiFi standards (802.11b or 802.11g, for example) are from At the user premises, the pulses get IEEE. So are most of the standards for Ethernet. The standards do not converted to Ethernet signals that cover everything. So many vendors have to add their own “extensions” to move over copper Ethernet wiring make everything work smoothly. That’s a necessary evil. But avoid vendors (typically Category 5 or Category 6 who ignore the standards entirely, and use their own proprietary methods wiring, Cat 5 or Cat 6 for short). and software in place of IEEE standards. Many companies make special equip- Physical standards – the ones that ensure that plugs will mate property – ment that converts the cable compa- are mainly the realm of the TIA, which stands for the Telecommunications ny’s coax, or your building’s electrical Industry Association. This is a trade association. wiring, so that it can carry an Ethernet signal. The standard for carrying Eth- But what about durability, or ability to withstand high temperatures or ernet over coax is called MoCA (for moisture? The technology has been moving so fast that standards-setting Multimedia over Coax Alliance; see bodies can’t entirely keep up. Many independent groups, such as Telcor- www.mocalliance.org). The standard dia (a private company) have developed their own testing standards to for using electrical wiring is called assure reliability. You will see them show up as references in contracts. HomePlug, and generically BPL (for Broadband over Power Line). There’s nothing entirely unusual about any of this. Property is subject to standards from the National Electrical Code, building and fire codes, Un- derwriters Laboratories, and so forth. But the organizations that are responsible for fiber may be strange to you. Get acquainted with them on their Web sites.

Some fiber optic network vendors offer “end-to-end” technology. That is, they guarantee that everything will work together, reducing risk. The need for “end-to-end” technology has diminished in recent years due to standardization of the components. But there are often some advantages in Aerial distrbution housing. terms of project management. The key point to keep in mind is that the technology risk is low. More important is the business sense and commit- Such setups may require that the ment to service of the people with whom you will be dealing. same company’s equipment be used at both ends of the wire – that is, one “box” turns the signal into “Ethernet” over coax and the other turns the signal back to something customers’ TV sets understand. These devices tend to offer an interim solution, but some companies’ technology is so robust that it can be depended upon for many years.

Microducts into which fiber can be blown.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 25 Zeros and Ones

If all pulses look the same, what’s the differ- But the video world is changing. Part of that ence between video, voice, and data? Theo- change is already obvious: Cable and tele- retically, there is no difference. But each re- phone companies are offering video on de- quires special skills on the part of providers. mand, or VoD. To deliver, they have to send Voice, for instance, does not require much extra signals down the coax, to individual bandwidth; 100 Kbps per second will carry customers. This increases the need for high- a high-quality phone conversation over Eth- quality service. ernet. A regular “analog” phone line uses as little as 8 Kbps. But the voice signal must Today, almost all of those signals arrive as be very clean, with no noticeable delay and RF (radio frequency, which can be analog or no static. That’s difficult to do on a network digital) signals. Even when the signals move such as the Internet, which is used for many over fiber, they are often treated as if they purposes at the same time. are RF.

Technical people thus describe voice as re- This is changing. The new technology is quiring a high QoS (quality of service) and IPTV. In IPTV, the video moves as data, us- low bandwidth. Telephone service over digi- ing the same Internet Protocol (hence IP) tal data networks is called VoIP for Voice as any other data. As IPTV develops, expect over Internet Protocol. Cable companies thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of have been offering both VoIP and switched channels, mainly sending video on demand telephone services (similar technically to to consumers who will be able to view the vid- regular telephone company services). But eo on computers or portable devices (think they are now transitioning quickly to VoIP. iPODs) as well as on conventional TV sets. Projected download bandwidth needed by Video also requires good QoS, but not al- The video service for Verizon’s FiOS is main- typical home in 2010, ways as good as voice. Small delays and a bit ly RF (for the time being), with IPTV for 2020, and 2030, of static will often go unnoticed by viewers. program guides, VoD, and soon some niche assuming three video But video requires a lot of bandwidth – 2 channels. and voice streams, one Mbps for standard-definition TV, and 4 to 8 gaming stream and Mbps (and as much as 20 Mbps) for high- Satellite TV vendors, who now count almost one data/e-mail stream definition TV, or HDTV. The higher the a fourth of American households as sub- per home, simultane- bandwidth requirements, the worse a small scribers, cannot directly compete with VoD, ously. The highest glitch in the transmission will seem. Mod- because they can only send signals one way estimates for 2030 ern HDTV is so crystal-clear that users are – from satellite down to subscribers. But are close to 30 Gbps annoyed by things that would be missed on some video providers are supplementing the because of 3D HDTV. old-style sets. satellite feed with VoD through a terrestrial network, fiber or coax or both. They can also pack- Projected Download Bandwidth age personal video re- Needed by Typical Home corders (think TiVo) with their services. 28,799 2030 8,892 Data is requiring more 3,118 and more bandwidth to meet consumer needs, 2,227 although 1 to 5 Mbps is 2020 1,398 typical. QoS needs are 558 not as great as for voice or video, because the Inter- High 113 net Protocol automatically Medium 2010 53 splits up data streams into Low 23 “packets” each containing many thousands of zeros 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 and ones, and reassembles Bandwidth, Mbps them when they arrive at their destination. They do

26 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Bandwidth Needed to Receive Standards for 3D video are One TV Channel Over the Next 25 Years already being formulated. The technology already exists and is used in industrial settings. 3D Ultra 2,571

3D Super 796

3D HDTV 280

2D Ultra (ITU J.601) 200

3D Standard-definition 126 TV

2D Super (ITU J.601) 50

2D HDTV 10

2D Standard-definition 2 TV

1 10 100 1,000 10,000 Bandwidth, Mbps

not have to arrive at the same time, received, has not proven to be an as long as they arrive within a short obstacle to building new, faster All light pulses – period – typically a few fractions of fiber-based networks. whether voice, video, seconds but sometimes much more. The issue is complex, and cannot or data – look alike, Providers of all of these services have be solved if people resort to slogans been used to thinking about con- without understanding the under- and travel over a single sumers’ bandwidth needs as asym- lying issues. Phone and cable com- glass fiber. metrical. That is, the bandwidth has panies, for instance, are upset that to be higher in one direction (the in- third-party VoIP companies “ride bound direction to consumers) than free” over their networks, as long as the other. Few consumers create vid- end users pay for the bandwidth in But providers need eo now, for instance, but almost all the first place. Phone and cable com- special skills for each. view it from elsewhere. panies are also worried that IP video will reduce the need for convention- Likewise, most users download more al cable services. data than they upload. But those patterns have been changing. In much But if regulators were to allow them of Europe, where providers have of- to block such services, or charge too fered symmetrical bandwidth, users high a price, innovation would be have tended to upload more data, squelched and the rest of the world and even to create their own video. could harbor most of the innovation happening on the Internet. In the US, service providers have A “quality-priority” based pricing started to talk about being allowed scheme would differ from the usual to charge different users of the net- approach elsewhere in the world, work different fees, depending on where most governments are simply QoS as well as on bandwidth. pushing for universally high bandwidth and QoS. But overseas, direct It is unclear how American poli- and indirect government subsidies cymakers will handle this issue, to network builders tend to be which has come to be called “net higher. In Asia, governments have neutrality,” while being fair to all developed national policies to push sides and while maximizing eco- for bandwidth to all residents and nomic potential. But so far, the businesses, with the ultimate goal of issue, despite the publicity it has using FTTH to deliver it.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 27 FTTH Versus Other Types of Fiber Networks

In September 2006, the FTTH Councils for Europe, Asia and North America standardized the definitions for Fiber-to-the-Home and Fiber-to-the-Building (also called Fiber tothe Basement). They are:

Fiber to the Home (FTTH)

A fiber optic communications path that extends from the operator’s switching equipment to at least the boundary of the home living space or business office space. The definition excludes those architectures where the optical fiber terminates before reaching either the home living space or business office space and where the access path continues over a physical medium other than optical fiber.

(RFOG node can be located at premises)

, RFOG

28 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council Fiber to the Building copper or wireless serves the user. Typ- (FTTB) ically, the service is through a variant of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). A fiber-optic communications path that extends from the operator’s switching FTTN should not be confused with Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC), used main- equipment to at least the boundary ly by cable companies to implement of the private property enclosing the DOCSIS, the standard that allows home(s) or business(es). In this archi- data to be transmitted over cable TV tecture, the optical fiber will terminate systems. Each DOCSIS node, typically before reaching the home living space served by fiber, with coax extending or business office space. The access to users, passes 100 to 500 homes. Nor path will then continue over another should it be confused with RFOG, access medium – such as copper or which is an FTTH technology. wireless – to the subscriber.

There are also other definitions com- Fiber to the Curb (FTTC) monly used by people in the industry: Like FTTN, except that the fiber is brought much closer to a user prem- GPON OLT. Fiber to the Node ises – typically closer than 1,000 feet or Fiber to the and often closer than 300 feet. In ad- Neighborhood (FTTN) dition to DSL, FTTC installations may use Ethernet (over copper cable or FTTN is not defined by the FTTH wireless) to bring the signal from the Councils. But in general it refers to fiber termination point to the user. a system where fiber is extended to Point-to-point wirelesss is sometimes a point – typically a street-side or on- used in rural areas simply to bring a pole cabinet – to within 1,000 to 5,000 signal from the roadway to a home feet of the average user. From there, that could be a mile or more away.

Simple cassette holds fiber.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 29 FTTH and FTTB Network Architectures – A Little History

The “family” of optical networks has two major BPON is being replaced by GPON, which al- branches – PON and AON – and many technical lows 2.48 Gbps downstream to the user and 1.24 variants within those branches. Gbps upstream. GPON supports ATM, Ethernet, PON stands for “passive optical network.” It and TDM (the protocol phone companies use refers to the fact that there are no active elec- for ordinary telephone service) by “wrapping” trical devices between the central office and the or “encapsulating” the data packets with some end user. All the handling of the light beams that extra bits. This is called GEM, which stands for carry the signal is done with mirrors, prisms and “GPON Encapsulated Mode.” fiber. There are no electrical devices needed. The GPON standard was finalized early in AON stands for “active optical network.” As 2004, but it was not until early 2006 that inex- the name implies, there are electrical devices pensive electronic chips to implement it became between the user and the central office. These widely available in volume. A new upgrade, devices are routers and switches, almost always 10GPON, is already being tested. As the name using the Ethernet standard. But these days, the implies, downstream bandwidth is about 10 Gbps “active electronics” are not in a remote cabinet -- four times the current standard. Upstream or local “point of presence.” They are often in bandwidth has also been increased fourfold. the central office itself. Thus, the industry has begun to call active networks “point-to-point” or The Ethernet Family P2P networks. This refers to the fact that each The second branch of the family tree is the Eth- end user gets a dedicated fiber (or several dedi- ernet branch. Ethernet is also used for “active” cated fibers) extending from the central office. networks. Because each fiber requires its own laser, P2P The first Ethernet PON (EPON) standard networks require more power and space within was released by the IEEE a few months after the central office. But because they do not re- the GPON standard in 2004. The standard was quire fiber distribution hubs (containing opti- quickly upgraded to 1.25 Gbps, twice the original cal splitters) in the field, they tend to be simpler bandwidth, as new electronic parts became avail- to operate. able. Networks using that speed are sometimes called EPON and sometimes called Standard Name Year Finalized GePON (for Gigabit Ethernet PON). BPON ITU G.983 2001 2.5 GigE equipment started to be de- GPON ITU G.984 2004 ployed this year, and equipment using 10 GigE is currently being tested. 10GPON/NG-PON ITU G.984 Evolves constantly A point of confusion: Although P2P EPON IEEE 802.3 2004 networks are called “active,” the typical Ethernet P2P has no active electronics GePON IEEE 802.3 2005 between the end user and the central 10G-EPON IEEE 802.3av 2009 (expected) office, just as in PON. The difference RFOG SCTE IPS910 2009 (expected) is that in a P2P network, each customer is served by at least one dedicated Evolution of PON Standards fiber. Each fiber (and thus each customer) has Within the general category of passive optical its own laser to generate the pulses of light. In a networks, there are two branches. One is based “passive” optical network, one central-office la- on Ethernet, the same standard that is used in ser might serve anywhere up to 64 customers. home and corporate local-area networks. The Ethernet branch has been standardized by IEEE New Types of FTTH Networks – the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engi- New fiber optic technologies are being devel- neers. The other is based on “carrier” standards, oped to meet new needs. The RFOG (Radio Fre- from the ITU – International Telecommunica- quency Over Glass) standard, still under develop- tions Union – and are more “telephone-like.” ment, allows cable providers to use their existing DOCSIS protocols and electronics with all-fiber The ITU Family networks. And WDM-PON adapts wavelength- BPON (for “Broadband PON”) was the first division-multiplexing electronic equipment de- PON standard widely used in North America. veloped for the transport portion of the network It is based on the ATM protocol, and has a top for use in the access network. WDM-PON can speed to users of 622 Mbps and upstream speed provide the kinds of speeds seen in intercity net- of 155 Mbps. But it allows the use of a separate works (currently up to 100 Gbps) and will prob- wavelength of light to support video services. ably be used first for businesses and MDUs.

30 | The Advantages of Fiber | FTTH Council FTTH and Economic Development

Common sense suggests that com- There are also numerous case stud- munities with plentiful, reliable band- ies, comparing specific communities width available will do better than before and after public investment those without. FTTH-powered band- in broadband. width is essential for: A few examples: • Hometown businesses competing • One early study, of a municipal fi- in a global economy. ber network built in 2001 in South • Professionals and others who work at Dundas, Ontario, showed substantial home. benefits. It was prepared for the UK’s • Quality of life provided by online Department of Trade and Industry. entertainment, education, culture and e-commerce. • A 2003 study by D. J. Kelley com- • Special services for the elderly and for paring Cedar Falls, Iowa, which shut-ins. launched a municipal broadband network in 1997, against its other- FTTH thus helps define successful com- wise similar neighboring community munities just as good water, power, cli- of Waterloo. Cedar Falls bounded mate and transportation have defined ahead of its neighbor. them for millennia. • More recently, Ford and Koutsky That’s obviously so for greenfield compared per capita retail sales developments – the data, in previ- growth in Lake County, Florida, FTTH helps ous sections of this report, show that which invested in a municipal broad- fiber-equipped homes and offices band network that became opera- define successful sell faster, and command a price pre- tional in 2001, against ten Florida mium over real estate developments counties selected as controls based communities just without fiber. on their similar retail sales levels prior to Lake County’s broadband as good water, But what about existing communities? investment. They found that sales power, climate and Direct comparisons are admittedly per capita grew almost twice as fast difficult because FTTH has not been in Lake County compared to the transportation widely available until recently, but vir- control group. tually all of the real-world economic have defined them studies have borne out the predic- Similar patterns have emerged for tions; none has suggested otherwise. communities using FTTH provided for millennia. By far the most comprehensive look by private enterprise. Fort Wayne, In- at broadband’s impact is a 2005 study diana, has taken good advantage of by William H. Lehr, Carlos A. Osorio, a Verizon FiOS investment there, for and Sharon E. Gillett at the Massa- instance. And in February 2007, two chusetts Institute of Technology, and big studies of housing sales in Mas- Marvin A. Sirbu, from Carnegie Mel- sachusetts – where FiOS was coming lon University. It was funded by the on line in numerous communities Economic Development Administra- – showed a startling recovery. Sales tion of the U.S. Department of Com- were up, and prices were down only merce and by the MIT Program on slightly (after a decade-long rise that Internet & Telecoms Convergence makes housing there among the most (http://itc.mit.edu). expensive in the United States). It is too early to tell how positive the effect The study found that broadband en- of FTTH is on home sales in the cur- hances economic activity, helping to rent downturn, but initial, somewhat promote job creation both in terms anecdotal evidence is positive. of the total number of jobs and the number of establishments. Broad- The data are clear and consistent: band is associated with growth in FTTH, whether provided by private rents, total employment, number of or municipal organizations, is an eco- business establishments, and share of nomic plus for all communities, and establishments in IT-intensive sectors. an outright boon for many.

FTTH Council | The Advantages of Fiber | 31 The FTTH Council will certify any home installation Details and an application form can be found on the that meets its standard – fiber optic cable that extends web at www.FTTHCouncil.org. all the way to the boundary of the home premises. Certified projects may display the program’s badge in 1. FTTH or fiber-to-the-home identifies a telecommu- its advertising. nications architecture in which a communications path is provided over optical fiber cables extending from the telecommunications operator’s switching equipment to (at least) the boundary of the home living space or business office space (the side of the building or unit). This communications path is provided for the purpose of carrying telecommunications traffic to one or more subscribers and for delivering one or more services (for example Internet access, telephony and/or video-television). 2. For the FTTH Council to certify any service provider’s network as operating over fiber-to-the-home access; and to grant that service provider use of the Certification is important because companies like to Fiber-Connected Home badge, that service provid- claim they have fiber networks, even when the fiber er[, and their network,] must identify the location, does not go all the way to the home. This can lead to size, and equipment being used in sufficient detail consumer confusion. Consumers sometimes think they for the Council to effectively certify those deploy- are getting the full benefit of 100 percent fiber broad- ments. The service provider must also confirm that band, when in fact they are not. Once constituents un- commercial services are currently being delivered to derstand the benefits of fiber, they will embrace it: revenue-paying subscribers. • Consumers will understand the difference between 3. The service provider must exhibit a high level of FTTH and other “fiber networks” that aren’t as good, commitment to network-wide FTTH deployment as and will embrace the superior experience of FTTH. indicated by its “Strategic Commitment” to FTTH in • Communities will understand the benefits that its network. “Strategic Commitment” is defined as broadband brings in terms of jobs, wages, and di- the ratio of: rect benefits such as medical and education ser Total number of residential households in service provid- vices – especially when delivered in the best possible er’s serving areas to which services can be marketed over form – FTTH. an FTTH access network (homes passed), divided by total • Investors will understand the benefits to compa- residential households subscribed to voice, data or video nies that make the effort to build fiber to the home services, served by service provider’s entire wireline net- networks – in terms of increased customer loyalty, work (total residential communication subscribers). competitive advantage, return on invested capital, and revenue. This ratio must be 10 percent or higher.

To learn more about fiber to the home: FTTH Council www.FTTHCouncil.org 1-866-320-6444 [email protected]

HOT PRODUCTS Broadband Properties 8th Annual List of Leading Broadband Technologies and Services The latest from top distributors, manufacturers, software vendors, content providers and system builders . Bad economic times are not deterring these vendors from introducing new broadband technologies .

Industry Segments Areas Covered Software Design/Construction Headend & Related Equipment Opto-Electronics Company PCO/MDU FTTx Wireless Telcos Cable TV Hospitality Municipality Outside Plant Inside Plant Wireless Structured Wiring EquipmentTest End-UserApplications In-Home Networking Network Service/ Programming ADC 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Advanced Media Technologies 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 AFL Telecommunications 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Allied Telesis, Inc . 3 3 3 3 3 3 AT&T Connected Communities 3 3 3 3 Broadband Integration Group 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 CableNow Corporation 3 3 3 3 Calix 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Charles Industries, Ltd . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Connexion Technologies 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Corning Cable Systems 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Display Systems International 3 3 3 3 3 3 Draka Communications 3 3 3 3 3 3 Enablence 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Great Lakes Data Systems, Inc . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Hitachi Communication Technologies America, Inc . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

66 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 HOT PRODUCTS

Industry Segments Areas Covered Software Design/Construction Headend & Related Equipment Opto-Electronics Company PCO/MDU FTTx Wireless Telcos Cable TV Hospitality Municipality Outside Plant Inside Plant Wireless Structured Wiring EquipmentTest End-UserApplications In-Home Networking Network Service/ Programming Multicom - Mconnect 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 OFS 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Pace International 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Preformed Line Products 3 3 3 3 3 3 Satellite Management Services, Inc . (SMS) 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Speed Wire, Inc . 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Spot On Networks 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Sumitomo Electric Lightwave 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Suttle 3 3 3 3 3 3 Telco Systems 3 3 3 3 3 3 Verizon Enhanced Communities 3 3 3

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April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 67 HOT PRODUCTS ucts from the world’s most recognized manufacturers, AMT Allied Telesis targets emerging technology applications in broadband with a 3200 N . First Street complete line of RF and fiber distributions, video, data, IP and San Jose, CA 95134 HDTV products. AMT offers a complete line of broadband P: 408-519-8700 products from the world’s most recognized manufacturers, in- F: 408-519-8701 cluding Motorola, Harris/Videotek, DX Antenna, EGT, RGB, Contact: Steve Klein, Director Marketing & K-Tech and Blonder-Tongue. It provides expert in-house tech- Business Development nical support for RF and IP video distribution systems to cable E: steve_klein@alliedtelesis com. TV companies nationwide. Visit us at the Broadband Proper- www .alliedtelesis .com ties Summit, Booth # 616. Segments of industry served: Fiber-to-the-Home, Telcos Products: Opto-Electronics AFL Telecommunications AT-iMG726 MOD: The modular design of the iMG726 P O. . Box 3127 MOD brings a new level of price performance to an intelligent Spartanburg, SC 29304 FTTP ONT, allowing a ‘pay-as-you-grow’ approach to service P: 864-433-5388 provisioning. It is available with optional 1 GE, 100 Mbps ac- F: 864-433-5560 tive Ethernet or GEPON interfaces, and plug-in HPNAv3 over Contact: Mark Boxer, coax for residential triple play or T1/E1 networking interfaces. Business Development Manager HPNA delivers 120 Mbps Ethernet over coax and extends E: mark .boxer@afltele com. management all the www .afltele com. way to the appliance. The MOD has 2 FXS Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- voice ports and 6 RJ-45 Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, Municipalities data ports standard, and Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Wireless, Structured features a separate fiber Wiring, Test Equipment, Network Services/Programming, and electronics tray Design/Construction, Headend and Related Equipment, in its modular design. Opto-Electronics Power and optional DIRECTV MFH3 IP-Based battery backup are also Headend: I n pa r t ner s h ip w it h available. Visit us at the DIRECTV, AFL Telecom- Broadband Properties munications provides a revo- Summit, Booth # 512. lutionary IP-based platform capable of delivering 100 per- AT&T Connected Communities cent of DIRECTV services, 2180 Lake Blvd ., 11A37 including HD, video-on- Atlanta, GA 30319 demand, and DVR services. P: 404-829-8750 Compact and cost-effective, F: 404-829-8818 MFH3 is a new distribution Contact: Lin Atkinson, General Manager, technology for DIRECTV National Accounts content in the MDU and commercial marketplace. E: lin .atkinson@att com. Features include an “out-of-the-box” platform that supports www .att .com/communities .com up to 500 receivers, with additional licenses available for purchase to support up to 1,024 receivers. MFH3 easily integrates Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU with high-speed data services, allowing operators to sell double Products: Wireless, End-User Applications, In-Home Net- and triple play services. Upgrades occur via software download working over the WAN for both the gateway and receivers. Remotely AT&T Connected Communities delivers innovative commu- manageable, MFH3 is ideally suited for networks delivering a nication and entertainment solutions and provides a source of bundled suite of IP-based services. ancillary income to the multifamily housing industry. AT&T, As a master system operator for DIRECTV, AFL can in- through its dedicated AT&T Connected Communities organi- tegrate a complete package of products for your network de- zation, works closely with apartment management and owner- ployment, including passive fiber optic equipment, electronics, ship groups to provide customers in our 22-state service area programming and network integration to pull it all together. with the latest services and technology available. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 114. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 400.

68 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 HOT PRODUCTS

Broadband Integration Group ics capability, the 3300 Battleground Avenue, Suite 100 easy-to-use software Greensboro, NC 27410 plays any of the fol- P: 336-288-9464 lowing formats: jpg, F: 336-288-0272 gif, bmp, png, avi, Contact: Ed Heuck, Director of New Business wmv. Sell ads to local E: info@graycliffent com. businesses and/or use www .broadbandintegrationgroup com. the upper window for property information. Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- Customizable guide is Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, Installa- ideal for any tier up to 120 channels. Unique channels such tion, Construction, Engineering Products: Structured Wiring, Design/Construction as “front door camera” are easily listed. Requires 1 rack unit of headend space with listing data downloaded daily via the Since its inception, BIG has developed broadband system ar- Internet. Software may be uploaded to an existing PC in order chitectures and performed broadband system construction for to save on hardware cost. more than 25,000 residential units. From hard-line coaxial Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 904. distribution networks to hybrid fiber/coax and pure fiber optic distribution networks, we have constructed and deployed the full range of broadband distribution systems, including the fol- Calix lowing specialized services: 1035 N . McDowell Boulevard • FTTH system construction Petaluma, CA 94954 • Hybrid fiber/coax system construction P: 707-766-3000 • Fiber optic distribution F: 707-766-3100 • Network construction Contact: David Russell, Solutions Marketing Director • Underground utilities construction E: david .russell@calix com. • Splicing and system activation www .calix .com • Forward and return path balancing Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- • System sweep and certification Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, Municipalities • MFH1 DIRECTV system construction Products: Opto-Electronics • MFH2 DIRECTV system construction Extended Reach-40Km • MFH3 DIRECTV system construction GPON: In the fall of 2008, • 2GHz L-Band system construction Calix announced a break- • Conventional “unstacked” L-Band system construction through in extending the • Ethernet system construction and termination reach of the GPON standard from 20 km to 33 km. This CableNow Corporation innovation was enabled by 815 E . Tallmadge Avenue, Suite B changes to the GPON stan- Akron, OH 44310 dard implemented in 2008. P: 330-630-5550 Calix quickly developed a F: 330-633-0006 new Optical Interface Mod- Contact: Kevin Brainard, Product Manager ule (OIM) for its C7 OLT to E: info@cablenowcorp com. enable customers to exploit www cablenowcorp. com. these changes in the GPON standard. With the new soft- Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Cable TV, Hospi- ware release (6.1) on the C7 tality, Municipalities platform, the extended reach Products: Headend and Related Equipment GPON is now able to serve customers up to 40 km from the GuideNOW with Advertising is a new easy-to-use on-screen OLT. All existing Calix 700 ONTs support this capability. The TV guide enabling operators and property managers to gener- end result: Service providers can quadruple the size of their ate additional revenue and communicate with residents. The GPON service areas by simply plugging in an OIM module at operator has total control over ad and message creation and the serving office, thereby eliminating the expense of building scheduling. If you want to conserve bandwidth, this combina- and operating remote cabinets. This is another Calix innovation channel fills the bill. Just log in from any Internet connection for serving rural communities with FTTP. Visit us at the tion, create and schedule. In addition to its full-featured graph- Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 118.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 69 HOT PRODUCTS

Charles Industries Ltd. wide. Its award-winning, state-of-the-art networks deliver an 5600 Apollo Drive unsurpassed technology experience and increase property val- Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 ues dramatically. By aligning its partners with leading service P: 847-806-6300 providers, it offers the best in enhanced television, telephone, F: 847-806-6231 Internet and security monitoring services. Connexion Tech- Contact: Minesh Patel, Vice President OSP Business Unit nologies creates A Better Connection with its one-source tech- E: mktserv@charlesindustries com. nology solution by offering a complete suite of entertainment www charlesindustries. com. and communication applications at the speed of light. Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- The company is based in Cary, North Carolina, with 17 of- Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipalities fices throughout the country. Connexion Technologies is cur- Products: Outside Plant rently contracted to provide communications services to more Charles Fiber Flexibility Pedestals (CFFP) offer a scalable, than 200 residential communities in 20 states. low-cost alternative to placing centralized split points (also Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 702. known as fiber distribution hubs, or FDH) in the outside plant. Unlike metallic cabinets, CFFPs are flood-proof and can be installed in almost any location. Their compact size compared Corning Cable Systems with large cabinets makes them easier to install and ideally 800 17th Street NW suited to small communities and neighborhoods. Rights-of- Hickory, NC 28601 way are no longer a concern and the units can be economically P: 800-743-2675 placed directly in the ground without the need for an expensive F: 828-901-5000 pad. A two-stage “enclo- Contact: Stephanie Kosty, Public Relations sure within an enclosure” E: stephanie .kosty@corning com. design provides superior www corning. com/cablesystems. protection of the inner interconnect panel, split- Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- ter storage and fiber rout- Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV ing. CFFPs are available Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Wireless, Test Equip- in four sizes with up to ment, Design/Construction 72, 96, 144 and 288 fiber counts, and are pre- Corning Cable Systems Evolant Solutions Loyalty Pro- stubbed with feed and grams provide select fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) developers, distribution cables that contractors and consultants with training, tools and resources are factory tested. One- on industry best practices and Corning-specific product inno- size-fits-all splitter mod- vations. ules can be used in any Geared toward FTTH consultants and designers, Corn- model CFFP. ing’s FTTxpert Program provides easy online access to design standards and tools, technical product information, white pa- Connexion Technologies pers and articles, as well as personalized design assistance from 111 Corning Road, Suite 250 industry experts. Cary, NC 27518 Corning’s Total Access Program (TAP) provides highly P: 919-535-7329 qualified design, engineering, furnishing and installation com- F: 919-882-9338 panies with the tools necessary to ensure successful FTTH and Contact: Susan Knowles, Media Relations Coordinator wireless deployments. After completing optical access networks E: susan .knowles@cnxntech com. installation training, TAP members are, among other things, www connexiontechnologies. .net able to offer their customers an extended product warranty on Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- complete Corning FTTH solutions. Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality The Corning Connected Community Program assists Products: Structured Wiring, Opto-Electronics, Design/Con- homebuilders, developers and service providers in implement- struction ing fiber optic infrastructures into their building plans. Mem- Connexion Technologies is the country’s premier fiber optic bers of the program have access to a large selection of material amenity company. It invests its capital to design, build and that markets the value of FTTH to prospective homebuyers, operate fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in single-family, such as neighborhood signage, FTTH brochures and DVDs multifamily, high-rise, resort and hospitality properties nation- for the sales office.

70 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 HOT PRODUCTS

Display Systems International • 100 times better bending improvement over standard sin- 2214 Hanselman Avenue gle-mode fiber Sakatoon, SK S7L 6A4 • Standard (2.9 mm diameter) and heavy-duty (4.8 mm di- P: 306-934-6884 ameter) designs in indoor or indoor/outdoor flame ratings F: 306-934-6447 • Availability with or without connectors – standard or pre- Contact: Whitney Lemke mium HLC ScratchGuard connector technology. E: whitney@displaysystemsintl com. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 712. www .displaysystemsintl .com Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Telcos, Cable TV, Enablence Hospitality, Municipalities 1075 Windward Ridge Parkway, Suite 100 Products: Software Alpharetta, GA 30005 Especially popular with gated communities, multi-dwelling P: 603-766-8618 units and private cable, DSI offers an inexpensive and profes- Contact: Scott Brown sional way to display advertising, real estate, community bul- E: NA_FTTxsales@enablence com. letin boards and tenant information on a local cable channel. www enablence. com. Our software can also be used in schools, restaurants, shopping Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- units, timeshares, museums, hotels and hospitals to display an- Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipality nouncements, menus, retail specials and guest information. Products: End-User Applications, Opto-Electronics Also offered by DSI is LineUp, our inexpensive electronic programming guide that allows you to display an on-screen Enablence Systems’ scrolling guide of current TV listings. With LineUp, you have ideal solution for complete control of the look, logos, fonts, colors and informa- m u l t i - d w e l l i n g tion displayed. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, units is the TRI- Booth # 716. DENT7 Compact Optical Line Ter- minal (COLT) Draka Communications with the ONT- 2512 Penny Road G888 optical net- Claremont, NC 28610 work terminal, P: 828-455-0990 which allow net- F: 828-459-8444 work operators to Contact: Kim Hudson serve high-density MDU complexes with a state-of-the-art gig- E: kim .hudson@draka com. abit passive optical network (GPON). Deployed with a G.984 www .drakaamericas com. GPON-compliant interface module, the COLT provides up to Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- eight PON ports. Using a 1x32 split from each PON port, the Home, Telcos, Cable TV COLT connects up to 256 ONT-G888 ONTs. Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant Each ONT-G888 serves as many as eight subscribers each with 100 Mbps of data service, POTS, RF and IP video, provid- Draka MDU Cable Featuring BendBright-XS: ing network operators and/or MDU management with many Draka’s BendBright family of fiber optic cable com- options to attract customers/tenants, provide new services and bines the unlimited transmission capacity of optical generate revenue. The COLT requires only two rack units (2 fiber with copper-like flexibility and handling, like RU) of space. Because it is temperature-hardened it may be installing around 90-degree corners and even stapling deployed in non-climate-controlled cabinets. In a high-rise de- the cables. BendBright-XS is particularly suitable for ployment, the COLT can be placed in the basement with the MDU applications because it uses Draka’s standard, ONTs, or the ONTs can be deployed on each floor. time-proven PCVD manufacturing process and trench technology – which means you can easily splice or connectorize BendBright-XS to legacy fiber in your Great Lakes Data Systems Inc. network. Draka’s new MDU product line features: 5954 Priestly Drive • Premium bending-loss performance at all single- Carlsbad, CA 92008 mode fiber transmission wavelengths P: 760-602-1900 • The ability to withstand repeated bending to in- F: 760-602-1928 credibly small radii Contact: Garrick Russell, Vice President Operations • Backward compatibility and the use of space-sav- E: garrick@glds com. ing components www glds. com.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 71 HOT PRODUCTS

Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- headend to the subscriber, reducing costly active components Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipalities in the network. Research shows that operating expense can be Products: Software reduced by up to 80 percent in a new RFOG build, and by up WinCable sets a new standard for broadband billing and sub- to 67 percent in an RFOG upgrade of existing HFC network scriber management software. WinCable’s client/server archi- (The Broadband Group, 2009). This savings is ongoing, not just tecture, attractive Windows design and robust SQL database one-time, and represents a powerful positive impact to the net- provide optimal features, benefits, and value. work operator’s bottom line. Digital, analog and IPTV set-top boxes, FTTH, condi- The Hitachi Node+Zero module follows the specifications tional access, satellite receivers, cable modems, VOD and VoIP of the emerging SCTE RFOG standards initiative, allowing can all be managed directly from the WinCable billing system. CATV operators to leverage existing headend equipment and GLDS also offers Web-enabled customer self-care including to migrate to passive optical network (PON) technology as bill view, subscriber self-upgrades, PPV ordering, and online market conditions warrant. credit card payment. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 602. • Designed for the requirements of private, municipal and telco video Multicom – MCONNECT • Exclusive address-based features 1076 Florida Central Parkway • Full support for interdiction, FTTP, digital, analog, IPTV, Longwood, FL 32750 data, VoIP and more P: 800-423-2594 • Landlord/tenant billing options F: 407-339-0204 • Low-cost online solutions for small systems Contact: Scott Brietz, Sales Manager Currently serving small and mid-sized operators since 1980, E: multicom@multicominc com. GLDS has implemented its solutions for over 300 operators in www .multicominc com. 49 US states and 40 countries worldwide. For more informa- Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- tion, contact GLDS Sales at 800.882.7950 or [email protected]. Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, VoIP Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 212. Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Structured Wiring, Test Equipment, End-User Applications, Design/Construction, Hitachi Communication Technologies Headend and Related Equipment, Opto-Electronics America, Inc. Multicom, a name you have trusted for 27 years for all your 3617 Parkway Lane CATV and fiber optic needs, has establishedMconnect , a dig- Norcross, GA 30092 ital phone service customized specifically for cable operators. P: 770-797-2521 Mconnect gives cable operators the ability to complement F: 770-797-2550 their existing lineup of video and data services with a state- Contact: Pete Westafer, Director of Marketing of-the-art redundant digital phone service, creating the same E: pete westafer@hitachi-cta. com. triple play options that MSO and telco competitors are now www .hitachi-cta .com providing their subscribers. Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- Each cable operator/reseller is provided with a branded Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, Munici- sign-up portal designed with the bundled product and pric- palities, Source-to-Subscriber Applications ing specifications exactly the way you want it. In addition, you Products: Wireless, End-User Applications, Network Ser- can track data and revenue by system location. Visit us at the vices/Programming, Design/Construction, Headend and Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 120. Related Equipment, Opto-Electronics Hitachi Node+Zero RFOG Module: Designed as a universal OFS single-fiber FTTP 2000 Northeast Expressway (fiber-to-the-prem- Norcross, GA 30071 ises) solution for P: 1-888-342-3743 $)XUXNDZD&RPSDQ\ HFC (hybrid fiber/ Contact: Fernando Costantino, Global Marketing Manager coax) network op- E: ofs@ofsoptics com. erators, the Hitachi www .ofsoptics .com Node+Zero RFOG (Radio Frequency Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- over Glass) module Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipalities enables a fiber optic Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Wireless, In-Home connection from the Networking, Design/Construction

72 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 HOT PRODUCTS

EZ-Bend Optical Cables uted through existing wiring in a building, using a headend help speed and simplify and customer devices for individual subscribers. The technology indoor optical drop cable allows properties to offer digital video content to residents at a installations using break- very low cost for entry when compared to other solutions. The through technology pio- Televes CDC Headend Management System lets you monitor neered by OFS. They can the headend locally or via remote control (using a modem). This be routed around corners feature will save the operator time by reducing truck rolls to and behind moldings, check operating status. This will also enable the service techni- and stapled using traditional fast and easy “copper-like” instal- cian to accurately diagnose problems and solve them remotely lation practices, with negligible signal loss. Ideal for aggressive or ensure that the proper replacements are brought to the site. For more information, visit www.paceintl.com/qam. routing environments where space is at a premium, EZ-Bend Visit Pace and Televes at the Broadband Properties Sum- Cables offer reliable support for MDU drop and in-home wir- mit, Booth #704 ing applications, and support HDTV, on-demand video and many other revenue-generating services. Available in indoor/outdoor, riser, plenum, and low-smoke- Preformed Line Products zero-halogen constructions, the EZ-Bend Cables feature 4.8 660 Beta Drive mm or 3.0 mm diameter ruggedized simplex cordages offer- Mayfield Village, OH 44143 ing less than 0.1 dB macrobending attenuation at 1550 nm P: 440-461-5200 for 1 turn at 5 mm fiber bend radius. Their solid fiber -con F: 440-442-8816 struction enables macrobending performance far better than Contact: Bill Upton, Sales Manager ITU G.657B requirements, and backward compatibility with E: inquiries@preformed com. installed G.652D fibers. EZ-Bend Cables are a green solu- www .preformed com. tion, free of heavy metals and RoHS-compliant. Visit us at the Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 302. Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipalities Products: Outside Plant Pace International Preformed Line 3581 Technology Drive NW Products Axcess So- Rochester, MN 55901 lutions product line P: 800-444-PACE (7223) offers customized Contact: Opie Williams, Vice President of Sales COYOTE pre-ter- E: opie@paceintl com. minated wall- and www .paceintl .com rack-mount cabinets. These cabinets Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- not only save time, Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality they also save on in- Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Structured Wiring, stallation labor costs. These units are ready for splicing right Test Equipment, In-Home Networking, Network Services/ out of the carton and accommodate standard COYOTE Splice Programming, Software, Design/Construction, Headend Trays and Adapter Modules. Cabinets are available in two col- and Related Equipment, Opto-Electronics ors, almond or black, and include mounting hardware, tie-off Pace-Built QAM Headends: brackets, grounding posts, grommets and hardware to secure Pace International has teamed splice trays. A lockable inner door secures the splicing com- up with Televes USA, a manu- partment. All fiber cabinets are made from rugged 16-gauge steel and protected with a durable powder-coat finish. Each facturer of premium-quality cabinet can be ordered empty or preterminated to your speci- QAM hardware that supports fications. Fiber assemblies are 100 percent tested and labeled HD and digital services for under ISO-certified procedures. MDU and commercial applications. Pace is the primary distributor for the hardware Satellite Management Services (SMS) in the United States. Televes, 4519 E . Broadway Road, Suite 100 based in Spain, was the first Phoenix, AZ 85040 company to introduce QAM P: 602-386-4423 technology to the DBS market- F: 602-386-4401 place. QAM technology allows Contact: Don Bowen, Executive Vice President HD and other high-bandwidth E: dbowen@smstv com. digital content to be distrib- www .smstv .com

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 73 HOT PRODUCTS

Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Wireless, Telcos, Spot On Networks Cable TV, Hospitality, Municipalities 55 Church Street Products served: Outside Plant, Wireless, Network/Services New Haven, CT 06510 Programming, Design/Construction, Headend and Re- P: 203-523-5207 lated Equipment F: 203-773-1947 Contact: Oliver Oetterer, VP of Sales The most exciting program ever available to E: [email protected] private cable operators: The Dish Network www.spotonnetworks.com PCO Program through Satellite Manage- ment Services. SMS is proud to be an autho- Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Wireless, Hospi- rized Master Distributor of Dish Networks tality, Municipalities PCO Program. Pricing, policies and agreements are identical to Products: Wireless, End-User Applications, In-Home Net- going to Dish Network direct, but we offer additional value! working, Network Services/Programming The value of using SMS as your Master Distributor in- High-speed broadband is a hot topic. High-speed wireless cludes: broadband is sizzling. Do • Operational assistance – SMS has been operating private your residents cable systems since 1985, and you benefit from that experi- want faster, ence. cost-efficient • Hardware assistance – SMS can assist you with every part of propertywide the hardware and equipment required to operate your sys- Internet ac- tems. Whether it is design or rack and balance, we can help. cess? Count • Programming and billing assistance – SMS’s experienced on it! They staff will assist you through the application and launch pro- know all cess. about WiFi • PCO forum – SMS set up and participates in a Web forum and there is a specifically for sharing information on the PCO program. rapidly growing expectation that wireless Internet will be available the minute they move in. Spot On Network’s wireless, secure and Speed Wire Inc. monitored networks provide instant access to high-speed 249-50 Jericho Turnpike Internet in the apartments and throughout the community Floral Park, NY 11001 complex the minute your tenant settles in. Absolve yourself of P: 516-945-6885 all CALEA compliancy issues, and provide your prospective F: 516-327-6084 and current residents with the hottest product out there. Your Contact: Kevin Donnelly, President residents want to save money, and we can help. Go wireless E: [email protected] with Spot On. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Summit, www.speedwireinc.com Booth # 908. Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the-Home, Wireless, Telcos, Cable TV, Hospitality, Municipalities Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Wireless, Structured 78 Alexander Drive Wiring, Design/Construction, Headend and Related Research Triangle Park, Equipment NC 27709 Speed Wire is a premier provider of technology installation P: 800-358-7378 services. We install wired and wireless broadband Internet ac- Contact: Customer Service E: [email protected] cess infrastructure for residential and business communities. www.sumitomoelectric.com and www.futureflex.com Some of the Nation’s largest CLECs, ILECs and Fortune 500 Companies contract Speed Wire’s field services team for instal- Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- lations, upgrades and deployment services. Home, Telcos, Cable TV, Municipalities Providing installation and support for copper and fiber Products: Outside Plant, Inside Plant, Structured Wiring structured cabling • wireless technologies (WiFi, WiMAX, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave manufactures and tailors fiber P2P) • site surveys • nationwide roll outs • project design • optic network innovations specifically designed to lower the project management cost of deployment for fiber-to-the-home, fiber-to-the-premises, Providing nationwide installation services since 1996. Visit MDU, and access and enterprise networks including fiber op- us at the Broadband Properties Summit, Booth # 902. tic cable, termination solutions, fusion splicers and accessories,

74 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 HOT PRODUCTS splitters and passive prod- Telco Systems ucts. As the leader in op- 3 Hampshire Street tical ribbon fiber technol- Foxboro, MA 02035 ogy and first-to-market P: 781-551-0300 innovations, Sumitomo F: 781-255-2344 has introduced the indus- Contact: Raylene Kadrmas, try’s first ribbon drop Marketing Communications Manager cable, as well as the first E: rkadrmas@telco com. and most popular hand- www .telco .com held splicers. Featured Segments of industry served: Fiber-to-the-Home, Telcos, also are the industry’s Cable TV, Municipalities only dual-heater fusion Products: In-Home Networking, Opto-Electronics splicers, which improve splicing efficiency by over Telco Systems’ EdgeGate 80 percent. product family provides triple Sumitomo also manufactures the environmentally green play, all-in-one, future-proof FutureFlex Air-Blown Fiber LAN infrastructure, which outdoor and indoor CPE options designed to deliver voice, has been adopted by the Pentagon, DFW Airport, Maricopa video and data services to County, Arizona Cardinals’ Stadium, Johns Hopkins Univer- homes, small office/home office sity, ESPN, CNN, MGM Grand, National Library of Medi- (SOHO) and small enterprises. cine (NIH), Mayo Clinic and others. Visit us at the Broadband The EdgeGate family has been Properties Summit, Booth # 610. deployed at thousands of homes and businesses worldwide. It Suttle offers ILECs, utilities, munici- 1001 East Highway 212 palities and greenfield devel- Hector, MN 55342 opers a cost-effective means to P: 800-852-8662 offer high-reliability and high-availability triple play services F: 320-848-6218 over a fiber-based network. These CPE gateways support mul- E: suttlesales@commsysinc com. tiple analog voice lines www .suttleonline .com (VoIP FXS ports) and Ethernet LAN ports Segments of industry served: PCO/MDU, Fiber-to-the- for both PC and TV Home, Telcos, Cable TV connections. The opti- Products: Structured Wiring, In-Home Networking cal uplink dynamically TWiN Lock Connec- supports 100 Mbps or tor: This small, compact 1 Gbps Ethernet over universal F connector holds traditional fiber pair just as much street credit as or single-strand bidi- rectional fiber, cutting – if not more than – the stan- costs in half. Product family members include the RUS-approved dard F connectors in the mar- EdgeGate 482 and 232, as well as the EdgeGate 483 outdoor ket today. From its complete CPE gateway with RF support, and the EdgeGate 242W indoor blockage of water migration CPE with wireless LAN capabilities. Visit us at the Broadband to its superb 75 pounds of pull Properties Summit, Booth # 806. strength, the TWiN lock not only meets SCTE standards but exceeds them as well. The patented twin 360-degree compression-style connection allows a Verizon Enhanced Communities full contact of metal drawn down on the cable itself, as op- One Verizon Enhanced Communities posed to a friction-based connection on standard F connectors. Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 The TWiN Lock not only performs and protects your signal P: 908-559-1433 better, but it also saves you money compared with the standard F: 908-766-5267 connectors in the market today. The TWiN Lock is available in Contact: Daniel O’Connell, Director, National Sales F, RCA and BNC. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Sum- E: FiosNow-VEC@Verizon com. mit, Booth # 406. www verizon. com/communities.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 75 HOT PRODUCTS

Segments of industry served: MDUs teams. The new widget provides instant Products: In-Home Networking, Net- on-screen access to personalized ESPN work Services/Programming, End- Fantasy Football points and football User Applications statistics, including rosters, box scores, scoring leaders and player information. FiOS TV Fantasy Football Widget: All of the information is available in real With just a click of their TV remote time, at no additional charge to FiOS controls, Fantasy Football fanatics can TV customers who are registered ESPN now quickly access their players and Fantasy Football players. The widget’s

features include: My Match Up - tracks total fantasy points for a user’s weekly matchup, including individual player fantasy points. Box Score - calculates total fantasy points for a user’s team and that week’s opponent. Roster - indicates a user’s individual player game starts, such as “B. Farve/ NYJ@MIAMI 1 p.m.” Player Cards - offers player photos, statistics and the user’s points for the day and season, along with player news. The Only supplier that has everything Scoring Leaders - keeps track of the top you need for QuickTake Plus Upgrades! 50 fantasy players. Visit us at the Broadband Properties Receive reduced pricing on QuickTake Plus headend Summit, Booth # 100. equipment when you purchase Motorola Set-Tops from AMT! The QuickTake platform now offers operators Have You Visited the ability to add more than 280 digital services including advanced HD and DVR features. www. ➤ QPSK to QAM Transcoders broadband ➤ DSR 4550 ➤ HD & DVR Set-Tops ➤ OM 2000 ➤ Satellite Antennas properties.com Lately?

Click on the BBP Online Button for quick access to our digital edition, interactive databases and the Spanish-language and European editions of our Broadband Primer . AMT has everything you need to launch now!

Advanced Media Technologies, Inc.® Shortcut URL: 720 S. Powerline Road, Suite G • Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 Direct: 954.427.5711 • Toll Free: 888.293.5856 • Fax: 954.427.9688 • www.amt.com • [email protected] www.bbpmag.com

76 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 SMS: Solutions Made Simple! Questions Answered, Problems Solved.

ProgrAMMing SyStEM DESign SMS is a National Distributor of all television programming SMS offers the latest CAD program and years of regardless of technology or delivery method. hands on experience to provide a proven and efficient road map to success. Programming Platforms • Dish PCO Distribution Design • DIRECTV Transport & Bulk Packages • QAM • Dish Transport & Bulk Packages • MFH2 • IPTV Content Rights • Fiber • Franchise TV Rights ProfESSionAl SErvicES EQuiPMEnt SMS has over 23 years experience in Private SMS is a Value Added Reseller of the finest commercial Cable and can assist you in all phases of the grade analog & digital video and data equipment for business. We help you to maximize system the Private Broadband industry. We are much more revenues, navigate the maze of technology than just a hardware vendor; we also provide expert options and provide assistance with financial guidance in the implementation and deployment of this modeling and ROE’s. We deliver a true nut & highly technical equipment. bolt solution to maximize revenue and execute a Manufacturers successful business plan. • Blonder Tongue Consulting • Cisco • Bandwidth Provisioning • Drake • System Brokering • Holland • Financial Feasibility Modeling • Pico Macom

Since 1985 SMS has provided a wide array of integrated broadband product and support to operators of Private Cable properties such as apartments and condominiums, hotels & motels, prison & correctional facilities, colleges & universities, mobile home and RV parks and other multi unit properties. www.smstv.com 800.788.8388 Since 1985 TECHNOLOGY Passive Optical Design for RFOG and Beyond With the emerging RFOG standard, cable companies can use existing equipment and back-office systems in a fiber network . But RFOG isn’t the end- game, so the network should be designed for eventually upgrading to PON .

By Mark Conner ■ Corning Cable Systems

or years, cable multiple system operators (MSOs) have successfully Ftaken an evolutionary approach to maintaining and upgrading their broadband access networks. Pushing optical fiber deeper toward subscribers has been a logical part of that ongoing process. As subscribers’ appetites for bandwidth and higher-quality content continue to grow, and as competition works to meet that demand, taking fiber all the way to homes and businesses makes more and more sense – especially because the cost gap between all-fiber and hybrid fiber/ coax (HFC) deployments has narrowed considerably. RF over Glass (RFOG) is an elec- Figure 1 – RFOG network elements tronics solution for MSOs that paves the way to all-fiber access networks foundation for very high bandwidth and (GPONs), are not a clean match for compatible with current headend equip- plentiful content delivery in the future. the delivery systems used in an MSO’s ment. In keeping with their evolution- headend. They don’t interface well either RFOG at a Glance ary strategy, MSOs have suggested that with the cable modem termination sys- RFOG support a clear migration path Pushing fiber deeper into the network tem or with the back-office systems. A to higher network capacity, potentially may be evolutionary and logical for solution has been needed to overcome through the use of an overlay technol- MSOs, but until now it has not typi- this barrier. A basic implementation of ogy. With proper design of the passive cally been practical for triple-play ser- RFOG takes the function of the node network structure, RFOG can deliver a vice delivery. Platforms used by telcos, and pushes it to the side of the home cost-effective solution today and lay the such as gigabit passive optical networks or business, so that the MSO’s existing headend gear, back-office systems and customer premises equipment (CPE) MSOs want RFOG to support a clear migration can remain in place. path to higher network capacity, potentially The Society of Cable Telecommu- nications Engineers has a specification through the use of an overlay technology. under development that defines RFOG technology. While the details are still With proper design of the passive network in flux, prominent electronics vendors structure, RFOG can lay the foundation for very are already offering solutions based on the main tenets of the pending specifi- high bandwidth in the future. cation. The key elements necessary for

78 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 TECHNOLOGY passive network design – loss budgets, The Society of Cable Telecommunications reflection, distance reach and wavelengths – are sufficiently well established Engineers has a specification under development so that a design framework can be constructed. These elements are intention- that defines RFOG technology. While the details ally aligned with the current require- are still in flux, prominent electronics vendors ments of GPONs and Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs), as well as are already offering solutions based on the main with the anticipated 10 Gbps versions of these standards. tenets of the pending specification. The current RFOG network concept is shown in Figure 1. Note that the migration path to greater capacity can required to meet subscriber needs and specification is neutral as to where the be beneficial for MSOs. A likely option remain competitive. For this reason, mi- optical hub electronics are located - they will be an overlay of EPON or GPON gration and growth (spare fibers) should may be deployed in the headend or in (or their coming 10 Gbps versions) to be planned into the network now, not the field, at locations similar to where add data capacity, with RFOG continu- added later. ing in operation. This means that CPE today’s HFC nodes are placed. If the Architectures and devices currently in use by MSOs, such electronics are in the headend, a true splitting strategy passive optical network to the subscriber as video set-top boxes, can continue to A crucial design choice is the placement be used while more data can be supplied. is possible – no actives in the field. With of optical splitters. There are several dif- In a sense, this is the best of both worlds the hub function in the neighborhood, ferent strategies for placing splitters. – current systems continue to provide one active still remains, but it is just one The “home-run” model places split- current services and added technology active location, compared with as many ters in the headend and provides a dedi- expands the service offering. as 40 to 50 actives (node and amplifiers) cated optical path to each subscriber in An MSO deploying RFOG must that would be required for a conven- the service area. This approach offers tional coaxial distribution. evaluate the potential need to add an tremendous bandwidth, management Regardless of where the hub func- overlay technology in the future and and asset scaling potential, but it is very tion is located, the proposed parameter drive the design accordingly. This is fiber rich. It also requires splicing each values for the optical distribution net- important because, depending on the fiber through the transport and distri- work are similar to EPON and GPON deployment scenario, the splitter place- bution parts of the network. requirements – mainly, a 20 km reach, a ment strategy or architectural choice In the “centralized split” model, 28 dB loss budget (based on 1310 nm) can determine how easily the network splitters are placed in the field, alleviat- and an overall split ratio of 1x32. will accept technology changes. To en- ing headend space concerns and reduc- A key benefit of RFOG for MSOs able smooth upgrades in the future, the ing transport fiber counts by a typical is the potential to reduce operating ex- network should be designed so that: factor of 32. In this model, assuming a penses by: • Staff with basic skill sets can manage 1x32 split ratio, all splitting for a group • Minimizing or eliminating system subscribers by visiting just one or two of 32 subscribers resides in one physi- power bills and outages due to power field locations (the subscriber and cal location. A large number of splitters failures possibly one management point) may be “concentrated” in a single loca- • Needing no adjustments in the out- • Technology can be migrated by tion or, using a “segmented” approach, a side plant (such as amp balancing) changing only the active devices on location may contain just a few (one to • Elimination of annual performance the ends of the passive network four) splitters. testing (cable leakage inspection fly- • Optical splitting can be replaced by Finally, the “distributed split” model overs and leakage sweeping ride outs) wavelength multiplexing, without spreads the splitting deeper into the network, reducing the fiber counts in and splicing fiber, by visiting just one the distribution layer. In this approach, • Elimination of return-path ingress field location and the subscriber. issues. there are two or more layers of splitting This last example may seem rather where the output of one splitter feeds the Migration advanced, but the technology support- inputs to other splitters located closer to Normally, one finds a discussion about ing it (WDM-PON) already exists. subscribers, such as the way a coaxial network migration at the end of an ar- The design and deployment choices cable distribution system splits signals ticle. In this case, the future migration made up front may have little impact on where the drop cables are connected. path has important implications for the initial cost. But these choices could have The choice of splitting strategy is design of the network, and it must be a significant impact on future costs, driven in large part by subscriber den- understood before design can begin. A especially if additional construction is sity and anticipated future changes. A

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 79 TECHNOLOGY

The migration path has important implications changes are made via connectors without splicing. for the design of the network, and it must be From Hybrid Fiber/Coax to an understood before design can begin. All-Fiber Access Network Current HFC design already involves The splitter placement strategy or architectural driving fiber deeper into the network. choice can determine how easily the network Nodes that once handled hundreds of customers have been segmented or split to will accept technology changes. reduce the service pockets down to about 125 subscribers per node. This node split- distributed splitting approach may work upgrade path, but may require higher- ting process has been done over the last well in lower-density areas or in places cost assets to be deployed before they few years to handle the ever-increasing with extreme space constraints that produce significant revenue. bandwidth requirements generated by limit maximum cable size. However, Another approach is to simply have the need to provide data, voice and high- distributed splitting can have important one splitter that supports the added ca- definition video programming. disadvantages such as unproductive or pacity via technology overlay, while an- In all-fiber access networks, cabi- stranded ports, underutilized network other splitter in the same housing has a nets and splitters create a one-to-many electronics and challenges in managing single delivery platform. The technician relationship as do the nodes in HFC subscriber connections and technology may then visit the (connectorized) split- networks. Many networks have been changes. All of these architectures are ter location and change the subscriber using a concentrated splitting design viable models, but it is important to an- from the “standard” service splitter to with large cabinets as local convergence alyze the expected initial and long-term the “premium” service splitter (Figure points. The cabinets have typically been deployment scenarios when selecting the 2). By having at least two connectorized equipped to handle from 144 to as many best architecture for a given project. splitters, the technician can make this as 864 subscribers per location. change in a matter of minutes, proceed- Most of the elements in these two Deployment Scenarios ing to the subscriber premises to finish architectures are similar in function. A variety of deployment scenarios may the upgrade. Over time, all splitters Coax taps in HFC networks are analo- be used to leverage RFOG technology. may handle the higher level of service, gous to network access points (NAPs), For example, RFOG may be deployed as but change is easily facilitated because also called terminals, where drops are a stand-alone solution, delivering voice, all subscribers on the splitter can be in- connected in fiber networks. The coax video and data. When more data capac- dividually accessed at one location, and drop cable is analogous to an optical ity is needed to serve high-end residential users and small to medium business customers or simply to meet increasing bandwidth demand, EPON or GPON may be deployed as an overlay. The re- verse scenario is also possible, in which EPON or GPON is supplying data and voice, and RFOG is added for video delivery. An MSO may preprovision for an overlay by placing electronics to which capabilities may be added when needed, or it may adopt a strategy of swapping out equipment (RFOG ONU) when necessary to upgrade a customer. This last approach uses the lowest-cost devices to provide initial services. It is important to consider how to enhance capacity for one subscriber without affecting other subscribers. If preprovisioning is used, a device is added or changed at the premises of the subscriber being upgraded so that additional signals already present on the fiber may be used. This provides a fast Figure 2 - Moving a subscriber to a premium service via overlay

80 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 TECHNOLOGY

two discrepant positions, branch and series-connected NAPs can be “fed” from a 12-fiber connector at the access point; the NAPs have connections to share the fibers with other NAPs in the branch or series. Each of the three connected NAPs can serve four subscribers (12 drop connections in all). Each factory access point can provide two 12-fiber connections. Figure 3 illustrates the use of branch- and series-connected terminals combined with the overall segmented split design. Conclusion RFOG affords MSOs the ability to leverage an all-fiber access network and build a solid foundation for future advances. Figure 3: Segmented splitting with branch- and series-connected NAPs To take advantage of all that RFOG and potential overlay technologies can pro- drop cable assembly with hardened con- generally cost less, can use smaller con- vide in the years to come, anticipated nectors. The most notable change is the duits and are more quickly repaired in deployment scenarios must be consid- elimination of the network’s active de- the event of a cable cut. Figure 3 illus- ered so that the passive network design vices – field-installed nodes, amplifiers trates the segmented split concept. can be optimized accordingly. and power supplies. One of the key design factors is split- Properly designed, the same network Preconnectorization ter placement strategy, which affects the can support RFOG technology to lever- Further speeding deployment are pre- ability to manage, test and migrate sub- age deployed headend and standard cus- connectorized assemblies with factory- scribers through the technical evolution tomer premises equipment in a DOCSIS installed connection points that avoid that history suggests will take place. Once environment, as well as support future the need to splice at each network ac- designed, network deployments can use “xPON” technologies. cess point or terminal location. NAP conventional components or tap into new placement can be deferred until service ones that promise to map well into the Segmented Splitting orders or revenue exists to support them. MSO network design philosophy. Most Taking a cue from current HFC design, This approach can be leveraged for new importantly, the passive network design all-fiber access methods can be modi- builds and to migrate existing customers should meet the basic requirements for RFOG, as well as technologies such as fied to reduce the network’s footprint, to an all-fiber access solution. reduce deployment costs and better fit EPON and GPON, to ensure a wide the phasing common in new residential Branch- and range of evolutionary options. BBP developments. Where traditional all- Series-Connected NAPs fiber design concentrates many splitters Research has shown that a four-port About the Author (and subscribers) into one large cabinet, terminal minimizes drop lengths com- Mark Conner is Market Development segmented splitting literally “segments” pared with higher-count terminals. On Manager, Advanced Access, Corning Ca- this serving area into zones of up to 128 the other hand, minimizing per-port- ble Systems. He serves on the committee of homes (up to four 1x32 splitter groups). and home-passed cost for factory access the Society of Cable Telecommunications The smaller footprint costs less to points on cable assemblies requires pre- Engineers that is developing standards for install and can better match the area to connectorized assemblies to access fibers RFOG. You can reach Mark at Mark. be served, especially when future homes in groups of 12 or 24. To marry these [email protected]. have not yet been built. Because it is still a central split architecture, the scal- Because most of the network elements in HFC and ing and future-proofing qualities of the concentrated split are retained. Another PON networks are similar in function, it’s not hard benefit of this approach is that the cables radiating out from these smaller lo- to design a network so that it can evolve from cal convergence points have lower fiber RFOG to PON as customers’ bandwidth needs counts than those used in concentrated splitting topologies. Lower fiber counts increase over the years.

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 81 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Broadband Fiber Networks: The 21st-Century Crossroads A collaborative fiber backbone in Indiana helps independent telcos bring FTTH to smaller cities, benefiting both the telcos and the cities .

By Graham Richard ■ Graham Richard Associates LLC

f a state wants to be known as the members are investing in these buildouts crossroads of America and to attract because they see FTTH as one of the Ilocal, national and international single most important economic devel- businesses – and what state doesn’t? – opment activities they can undertake. even its smallest communities need to Big Pipes Keep Local offer broadband connectivity via fiber to Telcos Relevant the home (FTTH). Communities that cannot offer fiber connectivity are on “It’s turning into a wireless world, and the off-ramp of the information and in- we believe that offering a big pipe to the novation superhighway. Unfortunately, home is the only way for a landline telco some of the major telcos have shown to remain relevant to its customers and compete in the future,” says Michael little interest in building out their high- East, chief executive officer of Endeavor speed broadband networks in small Communications, a cooperative that is towns. And while many smaller telcos headquartered in Cloverdale, Indiana, are willing, some are hampered by the and serves nine exchanges. “We have lack of nearby high-speed broadband to provide every service our customers connections to the rest of the world. want, including the triple play of tele- Organizations like the Indiana Fiber The Indiana Fiber Network provides a fiber phone, TV and high-speed Internet, Network (IFN) were formed to make backbone that enables small towns to connect over those pipes.” these connections. IFN is a consortium to the rest of the world at high speed . Endeavor has initiated a fiber over- of 21 independent telephone companies build of its existing wireline network, in Indiana that have come together in olis and Ft. Wayne, as well as Cincinnati enabling it to connect to the IFN for an entrepreneurial, collaborative spirit in neighboring Ohio.) telephone and high-speed Internet con- to create a fiber-optic ring network. The Though these FTTH overbuilds nectivity and to the Indiana Video Net- initial build-out, completed in early may be small, they can take advantage work for switched-digital video content. 2005, consists of more than 1,700 miles of the latest developments in fiber-to- Like many small telcos, the company of fiber. IFN members can provide their the-home electronics to offer powerful is building out its broadband network customers with advanced telecommu- broadband services such as 2.4 GPON gradually. More than three years ago, it nications services by deploying FTTH for residential and small-business cus- started with two of its core areas where networks and connecting them to the tomers, or even active Ethernet, which is there was increased growth, and it cur- IFN ring. (IFN also has points of pres- sometimes preferred by larger businesses rently offers fiber connections to the ence in larger cities, including Indianap- that demand dedicated fiber access. IFN home in all or part of four exchanges that serve about 3,200 people. The com- Independent telcos belonging to the Indiana pany expects to complete the full fiber overbuild of all its nine exchanges in the Fiber Network are investing in fiber-to-the- next six to seven years. home networks in order to support economic As it builds out, Endeavor upgrades to new services as they become available development in their service areas. and economically feasible. For example,

82 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT it started out offering an early 1.2 Gbps second most important factor. Fortu- of people who are deciding where to in- version of GPON but is now deploying nately Verizon, which had been encour- vest money and expand their businesses. 2.4 Gbps GPON. It is also looking at aged to build out the FiOS system in Ft. This shift in business priorities of- active Ethernet, although it believes that Wayne in 2005, now passes more than fers Indiana cities and towns a new GPON is currently still the right solu- 132,000 homes and businesses there strategy for retaining and gaining jobs: tion for its needs. with high-speed fiber-optic services. The Small communities can be much more Do-It-Yourself FTTH Pays Off availability of FTTH is a now a major competitive if they have an FTTH in- Communities can start feeling the eco- factor in the economic decision making frastructure. Certainly the experience nomic benefits of an FTTH build-out long before they even start to offer broadband service to residents. Endeavor, for Smithville Telephone Upgrades to Fiber example, started its fiber overbuild using an outside contractor, and the projected Founded as a family-owned cost of fiber to the premises for all nine and -operated service pro- exchanges was $105 million. But when vider in 1922, Smithville costs started to rise, the telco decided Telephone, located in El- to become its own contractor, hiring lettsville, Indiana, has grown construction crews locally, purchasing to become the largest inde- equipment and building out the net- pendent telecommunications broadband provider work at a pace of about 150 main-line in the state . The company fiber miles a year. provides both business and “We did things a little differently residential services to over 27,000 access lines in 17 rural counties of south- from most telcos, but as a result we’ll central Indiana . save a minimum of $20 million over Because it serves a rural customer base and because copper infrastruc- the life of the project,” says East. “Plus, ture lacks the bandwidth speeds Smithville’s customers desire, “Fiber was we’ve trained people and built a work- the better choice for our network upgrade,” according to Darryl Smith, di- force within our community, so the cost rector of network operations . “We are willing to spend more money on the of the project is indirectly put back into fiber infrastructure and to conduct a complete overhaul of our network – the community by keeping those labor we see the long-term viability of a FTTH deployment ”. dollars local. And we are finding that we “We have a tradition of reinvesting in our customers,” says Darby Mc- can do the job as well as or better than Carty, president and fourth-generation leader at Smithville . “We’re always the contractors.” looking to better serve our customers and knew that to do so successfully, FTTH as an Economic Driver we were going to need a significant infrastructure rebuild . We knew fiber was our only option ”. The idea that the advanced communica- In April 2008, Smithville tions enabled by FTTH can play a pow- announced a $90 million erful role in a community is confirmed FTTH overbuild . The proj- by a series of studies done by the city of ect, scheduled to last ap- Ft. Wayne on job creation and economic proximately four years, will development. As expected, the surveys increase the speeds of ex- show that a highly skilled workforce is isting Internet and telecom the number one consideration of busi- services up to the 100 Mbps nesses in choosing a location for a new range as well as enable fu- plant, adding more jobs or expanding. ture video services . The Until a few years ago, lower taxes also overbuild will also include ranked high in importance, followed by HDTV plus security and related services . criteria such as public safety, cost and Access equipment for this project is being provided by Calix . Smithville availability of city utilities, electricity is deploying Calix C-7 equipment for BPON, GPON, Ethernet, and ADSL2+ and shovel-ready building sites. services . But something unexpected showed Smithville plans to roll out more services with its rebuild, including ex- up in the 2007 survey: for the first time, tended data and consumer video packages . The company expects to com- the availability of high-speed broadband plete the project by early in the third quarter of 2013 . For more information ranked higher than most other tradi- on Smithville Telephone, visit its Web site at www .smithville .net . tional considerations, coming in as the

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 83 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A big pipeline can make a community stand people to make a living by working at home. Not only do studies show that out when it’s competing for business in people want to work at home, but also for many these days it is a necessity, as hard times – ask Cloverdale. workers are laid off, work hours go down and benefits are cut. of communities served by IFN mem- through Indiana decided to locate sev- bers bears this out. The FTTH services eral offices in and around Cloverdale. Broadband Applications offered by the CLEC business of En- “One of their considerations was Extend Big-Pipe Benefits hanced Telecom Corp. (ETC) of Sun- based on what type of telephone circuits While communities are already receiv- man, Indiana, were instrumental in ex- and data circuits they could get here, ing many benefits from an FTTH infra- panding the economic base of its service and FTTH really put us in a better com- structure that interconnects with a state- area. When car manufacturing giant petitive position,” says Robert Williams, wide fiber ring such as the IFN, they Honda was scouting for a location for a engineering and construction manager will benefit even more from the next new plant in the mid-2000s, it checked at Endeavor. “We can now offer 6 Mbps round of broadband innovations – ap- out the area around Sunman – and liked data service over fiber, while over [cop- plications that are specifically designed what it found. per] wire we can only offer 512 Kbps to take advantage of the fiber highway. “ETC was building an overlay FTTH tops. A big pipeline can make a commu- As fiber networks are built out in more network at the time Honda was evaluat- nity stand out when it’s competing for communities, there will be a market ing a site in the town of Greensburg,” business in hard times – and the pipeline for new applications to serve hospitals, says Kent Claussen, vice president and company’s presence in Cloverdale has re- universities, public safety organizations network manager of ETC. “As a result, ally been a boost to the local economy.” and municipalities, particularly those in we were able to show Honda that we areas that are now underserved. FTTH and the Workforce The combination of a statewide- fi could provide the broadband service it A highly skilled workforce is still the needed to support the needs of a huge ber ring and local FTTH networks en- number one criterion for businesses ables innovation, communication and plant. Our ability to provide broadband choosing a new location, and broad- connectivity was an important factor in collaboration, making small Indiana band availability can help here as well. communities more attractive to both Honda’s decision to build in this area.” Distance learning in some form, from businesses and residents. In fact, small In November 2008, Honda Manu- elementary school through to advanced towns now have the opportunity to be facturing of Indiana dedicated a new degrees, is fast becoming the norm. Par- more bandwidth-rich than big cities. An auto plant in Greensburg, which has ticularly in smaller communities, dis- apartment building in downtown Chi- a population of just over 10,000. Cur- tance learning opens up opportunities cago will have reasonable bandwidth, rently the plant produces Honda Civic and access to resources – from a virtual but it may not have high-speed fiber- sedans, and this year the company plans field trip to an Antarctic research station optic broadband. to transfer exclusive production of the to earning an online technical certifi- The benefits of a big pipe in a small world’s only compressed-natural-gas cate or degree – that are available only town are clear. Communities that do passenger vehicle, the Civic GX, to the if local high-speed broadband service not make high-speed broadband ser- plant. At full capacity the plant will em- is available. vices available to residents and busi- ploy about 2,000 people, making it one Cloverdale High School, which nesses will lose out in the economic de- of the most important employers in the serves part of Putnam County, recently velopment race that we are running in area ETC serves. requested a 50 Mbps pipe that it will this next decade. And ultimately, these use for distance learning. Without its high-speed broadband services will play Broadband Pipe Attracts connection to IFN, Endeavor could Pipeline Business a large role in keeping small towns not not offer such a pipe – but now it can. just viable but desirable places to live and The broadband services offered by- En Ultimately, the school district wants to work. BBP deavor have also proven to be a big plus connect all of the schools in Putnam in attracting new business to local com- County to its network. munities. Endeavor has not traditionally FTTH service also enables adults About the Author served the business sector; its customers to update their skills and earn degrees Graham Richard is the former mayor of Ft. are mainly residential, although there from home, without traveling miles to Wayne, Indiana, and the author of “Per- are some truck stops and fast-food res- the nearest college or technical institute. formance is the Best Politics.” His company, taurants along an interstate highway that And today more people than ever are re- Graham Richard & Associates, advises gov- runs through the middle of the exchange. ceiving their degrees online. ernment leaders and business executives on But that profile changed recently when Furthermore, a broadband connec- achieving high-performance results. He can a company building a large gas pipeline tion via FTTH makes it far easier for be reached at [email protected].

84 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Planned Community, Planned Communications Infrastructure Infrastructure for the new town of Anson, Indiana, allows multiple service providers to deliver advanced services to residents and businesses .

By Stephen Mayo ■ Inteleconnect Inc.

aster-planned communities Piecemeal, parallel deployment makes no sense and mixed-use greenfield Mdevelopments have become for a planned community. It’s inefficient for commonplace across the United States. However, designing the telecommuni- telephone and cable companies to have separate cations solution for huge projects like infrastructures when they can share a fiber path. Anson, Indiana, poses several interest- ing challenges. Anson is a 1,700-acre and it shows. The earliest telephone lines lids. Cable TV companies then came new town, now under construction were strung overhead on poles, and many along on a similar path, building their northwest of Indianapolis, designed to lines still are. Later, cables were direct- own infrastructures, stringing coax on combine residential, commercial and buried underground, but they have to be poles that often quite literally paralleled civic uses. Health services, retailers, ho- dug up when repairs are required. This is telcos’ facilities and accessing the coax tels, offices, technology companies and disruptive not only for the provider but from separate boxes that might be only a warehouses/distributors are all part of also for the community, because streets few feet away from the telcos’ facilities. the business mix – and Duke Realty, the and sidewalks may need to be torn up This type of piecemeal, parallel de- developer, projects that these businesses on a more regular basis to accommodate ployment makes no sense for a planned will employ nearly 25,000 people when more traffic and to improve other - ser community. Working out a telecom- the 14-year build-out is complete. vices located in the rights-of-way such munications plan for Anson highlighted The communications infrastructure as water and sewer. More recently, the how inefficient – and even silly – it is of older towns cannot serve as a model incumbent telephone companies (tel- for phone and cable companies to have for integrated planned communities like cos) have begun installing their cable two separate infrastructures. Instead, Anson. The types of services available in buried conduits that they can access we designed the required underlying today developed over a long timeframe – through manhole boxes with street-level infrastructure for both relying primarily on fiber. Since the entire community is planned, as the telecommunications developer we are not interested in building separate, specific infrastructures for different providers, but on a single overall telecommunications infrastructure.

Shared Conduit, Independent Providers Today, everything should go underground, and it should be in conduit, which makes it far easier and less disruptive to make changes, updates and repairs. And it only makes sense that telco, In the new town of Anson, Indiana, developers are trying to integrate living, playing, working and cable and other service providers should learning in a way that will be sustainable for many years to come . A future-proof communications share the same conduit system. Provid- infrastructure is a critical component of the plan . ers have been leery of doing this, fearing

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 85 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT that competitors could harm their sys- A developer that owns the conduit will find it tems. Ultimately, however, the reasons for having separate infrastructures for easier to attract a new provider if the original each provider are not really that strong. A neutral telecommunications infra- provider is no longer providing services. Having structure removes artificial barriers to conduit in place also makes bringing up services entry for competitive service providers. Providers that win the bid to provide easier, faster and less expensive. services to the community pull their own fiber through the conduit and in- increased to accommodate new applica- and easier, faster and less expensive for stall their own electronics at the man- tions simply by updating the electronics. the provider to bring up services. holes. We simply provide the pathways; Developer-owned conduit also Cost and ROI Benefits the providers that share them are com- makes the most sense in terms of infra- for the Developer pletely independent of one another. The structure layout, as we can determine single infrastructure also gives service From the cost and return on investment at the outset where telco and cable pro- providers a single connection point to (ROI) perspective of a developer, this viders can install their equipment, even dark fiber where they can access their one-infrastructure approach makes the before any construction starts, and they own off-property services. most sense. It also protects developers can build at these locations as they are Although Inteleconnect provides for who are uneasy about having to sign developed. For example, Duke Realty is a single communications infrastructure, exclusive deals with providers who build building out the commercial and retail we do not include the electronics, giving their own infrastructure for fear their portions of Anson first; the residential providers complete freedom to choose services will be poor or that they may portion will be built later. But we have the products that best suit the services go out of business. Without a developer- already built the pathways that will serve they offer. Those serving the residential owned conduit, a provider can pull out residences. This is a major plus for many market with fiber to the home (FTTH) its privately-owned infrastructure, and developers, who usually find the lack of might opt for 2.4 Gbps GPON optical it may be difficult for the developer to communications pathways an impedi- network terminals (ONTs) at their head- find another provider willing to make ment; development is less expensive if ends, while those serving mid-sized busi- an investment in the community, par- conduit is already in place. nesses that demand dedicated fiber access ticularly after the homes are built. In fact, Inteleconnect has employed a may want to deploy ONTs that support When the developer owns the conduit, “pathways first” model for several years, active Ethernet in addition to GPON. it is far easier to attract a new provider, and this model has proven beneficial in a The Anson master plan includes a five-conduit fiber system, one of which is owned by developer Duke Realty, which A Campus of Campuses at Lake Nona can use it as a “shadow” communica- The shared-conduit model is also employed at the planned Lake Nona com- tions system. This is a particularly inter- munity near Orlando, Florida . Like Anson, Lake Nona is a large mixed-used esting concept, since the system can be development encompassing more than 12,000 homes, condos and apart- used by environmental control, security, ments; a downtown with retail and small-office space; two large commercial power distribution, point of sale (POS) high-rises; and five medical campuses, including a VA hospital, a children’s and other services within Anson. For hospital, the University of South Florida medical campus and more . example, a security company with cus- This development might be described as a campus of campuses, each tomers in the development could use the campus having multiple buildings, and with a conduit system that ties ev- “shadow” system to connect equipment erything together . Having a single communications infrastructure is par- within the development and lease con- ticularly important for the medical campuses, as it enables them to partner nectivity from the service providers to and consult with one another . The children’s hospital, for example, may get off property and back to its central want to communicate with the M .D . Anderson Cancer Center . In fact, the station. A big-box retailer could use the medical campuses have seized the opportunity afforded by the infrastruc- system for a private POS network link- ture to have live pilot programs involving several medical centers . Another ing several locations within the develop- benefit of the conduit system that the medical campuses in particular are ment. The developer itself may want to excited about is that none of their intra- or inter-campus communications use the conduit for property-centric pur- go out to the public Internet . This in itself provides a certain level of secu- poses, such as a video surveillance system rity, which is always important when dealing with private medical informa- in large garages. If the shadow system is tion and intellectual property . based on Ethernet, bandwidth can be

86 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Putting the conduit/manhole infrastructure in place ahead of time makes it easy for providers to pull fiber to homes as they are built, which in turn helps speed sales . slow housing market. A developer invest- For such companies, a conduit-based they may regard it as against their best ing up front in a conduit/manhole infra- communications system is particularly interests. Inteleconnect, however, has structure that passes all homes – just as it important, since it makes it much easier successfully encouraged incumbent tele- would invest in water and sewer systems to expand their operations if they can phone and cable companies to share in – makes it easy for cable and telephone tie together networks in different build- the installation and use of a common companies to pull fiber to homes as they ings so they appear to be one network conduit and manhole system for devel- are built. And this helps speed the sales in one location. In fact, such networks opments to save costs and space. This process. In many states the developer can appear to be like a campus network approach to planning a community pays the service providers for the infra- where all the electronics are physically provides benefits to all involved – com- structure anyway, but without a lot of connected, whereas they are actually munity developer, service providers, input regarding its design or function. dispersed among several buildings that residents, and businesses – while mini- may be owned by different landlords. mizing risk. BBP Broadband for Big Boxes And businesses can use the infrastruc- Developer-owned conduit is also a huge ture’s connection point to dark fiber for plus in attracting commercial and retail their own purposes, giving them the About the Author tenants to areas where the large regional bandwidth they need to connect to data Stephen Mayo is the president and owner and national telcos are unwilling to hubs, for example. of Inteleconnect Inc., a technology consult- make the investment in competitively For most service providers, the idea ing firm focusing on first-mile strategies priced high-speed service. The developer of sharing a developer-owned conduit/ for residential and campus environments. can connect its infrastructure to dark fi- handhold infrastructure with competi- You can reach him at 734-944-6694 or ber that provides bandwidth that even tors is new, not to say unsettling, and [email protected]. the largest businesses need – a solution that Anson takes full advantage of. Anson is unusual among planned multiuse communities in that it has a big-box commercial area designed to attract large operations – and these operations require access to broadband communications, especially if they are to grow within the community. In 2008, for example, Medco Health Solutions broke ground for the world’s largest automated pharmacy. Shortly thereafter, Amazon opened a 600,000-square-foot automated distribution center that will Retailers that have several locations in Anson can tie their networks together so they appear to be a create more than 1,200 jobs by 2010. single network at a single location . This makes it easier for them to expand their operations .

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 87 INTERNATIONAL coverage “Broadband Access is Vital for Economic Growth and Social Coherence”

Uffe Toudal Pedersen, permanent secretary of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, opened the FTTH Council Europe’s annual conference in Copenhagen with these remarks: he theme of this year’s confer- ICTs are responsible for two per cent of ence, “Building a Sustainable TFuture,” is extremely well cho- worldwide emissions. This is equivalent to carbon sen. Ten months from now, the United emissions from the aviation industry. But ICTs Nations Climate Change Conference, COP15, will be held right here in this should not only be seen as a problem. They are very conference center. I think it is safe also part of the solution. ICTs hold the potential to envisage that COP15 will be one of the largest UN events ever to be held – for optimizing our use of resources and and we hope also one of the most impor- reducing CO emissions. tant ones. Altogether, as many as 18,000 2 participants are expected to attend. agreement that will apply to the period are currently considering ambitious However, the bleak background for after 2012. initiatives in order to get the economy this summit is that climate change is ac- This is where we all have a part to moving on the right track again. The celerating even faster than we expected play. In order to live up to new goals majority of these initiatives have broad- previously. So reaching an ambitious for reducing CO2 emissions, it is abso- band on the agenda, from the European global climate agreement at COP15 is lutely necessary to introduce new green Commission to the US. There is a great an essential political step. The goal is technologies. This is the only way to en- wish to make broadband access available to enter into a binding global climate sure low-carbon, sustainable economic in geographical areas where it is not ac- growth. In our view, the ICT sector will cessible today. The reason for this is very play a vital role in this change of our so- simple. Today, broadband access is vital ciety. ICT is responsible for 2 percent of for economic growth as well as social co- total emissions, or the equivalent of car- herence. That is why this conference is bon emissions from the aviation indus- held at a crucial point in time. try. But ICT should not only be seen as As for Denmark, the current goal is a problem. It is also part of the solution. to ensure that all Danes can get access to ICT holds the potential for optimizing our use of resources and reducing broadband. Today more than 99 percent of Danish households and businesses CO2 emissions. Denmark is already one of the leading ICT nations, and we are can get broadband access. By the end of in the forefront when it comes to intro- 2010 we plan to have the remaining ap- ducing new environmental technologies. proximately 21,000 households covered. Our goal is to combine these strengths Today a broadband connection is not and become a frontrunner when it comes just a broadband connection. Speed is to green ICT. increasingly important, as we all know. Another issue that concerns all of It is quite evident that the new chal- us these days is the global financial and lenge for Denmark concerns broadband economic crisis. Many governments speeds and how we can provide faster

88 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 INTERNATIONAL coverage

connections with a speed of up to 100 There are many issues to resolve and high speeds and a high quality level. By Mbps, or even more. now I will weigh my words with care. The the end of 2008, 18 percent of all Dan- High-speed broadband is necessary goal is clear: to ensure access to the best ish homes and businesses could get ac- to ensure: suited technologies for the future at the cess to fiber-based broadband, either as • Access to new and advanced public right price. The difficult part relates to: fiber to the home or via local area net- and private services; • Who should be responsible for pro- works. But other technologies can also • Economic development in all areas viding the access; play an important role when implement- of the country; and • At what price should investments be ing next-generation networks. In other • A progressive development of the made; and words, we are keeping all options open ICT sector. • Using which technologies. when it comes to technology. Thus, the development of a solid I do not have a clear answer, but The second principle that we adhere broadband infrastructure has a very high choices will have to be made. And per- to is that development in general should priority for the Danish government. sonally, I think that consolidation and be market-driven. Looking at broadband In Denmark broadband access will be cooperation will be key words. There is development so far, the role of the pub- provided for by a mix of technologies – a role for governments and there is a role lic sector has mainly been to facilitate through existing copper, coax, fiber and to play for market players. For now, let market-driven development. We have wireless technologies. We are currently me refer to two principles, which will be done this through regulatory initiatives experiencing a somewhat heated debate part of our considerations. to enhance competition, an ambitious e- about the investments in fiber optic First of all, we will most certainly government strategy to ensure relevant connections. The debate centers about stick to the principle of technological services to the benefit of citizens and whether or not it is possible to make a neutrality in our regulation. Today, in businesses, and a general policy towards solid business case from investment in this room, there is of course a focus on enhancing the uptake of new services. infrastructure. The core of the question one specific access technology, fiber to This has included a focus on e-skills as is, of course, whether the customers will the home. Fiber to the home is very in- well as on trust and security. be willing to pay the extra costs. teresting because it can guarantee very There is no doubt that access to high- speed broadband will be one of the pa- Today more than 99 percent of rameters that defines the winner of tomorrow. Therefore this is an issue that Danish households and businesses can get will be high on the political agenda for a broadband access. By the end of 2010 we plan long time. It represents an exciting chal- to have the remaining approximately lenge for governments and businesses and I am sure that we can all benefit from this 21,000 households covered. if we keep our dialog going. BBP

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 89 Focus on Cable PON Alloptic Delivers DOCSIS-Enabled EPON From BBP Wires cable operators,” says IDC analyst Dave to offer advanced services to residential Emberley. “The biggest benefit is expand- and business customers without requir- LIVERMORE, CA – Alloptic (www. ing their ability to address a broader set ing major overhauls or replacement of alloptic.com) announced the availabil- of business needs for enhanced Ethernet OSS components. ity of DPC – DOCSIS PON Controller and TDM services while continuing to “We are impressed with the ease and software – which enables DOCSIS pro- use their OSS and billing systems.” simplicity of flow-through provisioning visioning and control of its EPON sys- “Leveraging network operators’ ex- with Alloptic’s DPC system,” reports tem. DPC facilitates the acceleration of isting investment is vital to their suc- Matt Hoskins, Network Operations passive optical network (PON) rollouts cess,” says Shane Eleniak, vice president Manager, NPG Cable of Saint Joseph, by cable operators. of Marketing and Business Develop- Missouri, a cable operator that has been DPC allows network operators to involved in early trials of the system. “As realize the benefits of PON while con- ment for Alloptic. “Alloptic’s systems tinuing to use DOCSIS flow-through drop into the access network alongside we increase PON deployments, DOC- provisioning and control. DPC acts as a other technologies including RFOG SIS management of those networks not proxy between back- office systems and [Radio Frequency Over Glass], making only expands our service offering; it im- Alloptic’s GePON system. In effect, the the transition to PON-based architec- proves our service delivery times.” PON optical line terminal in the central tures possible at a pace and scale that By enabling DOCSIS-controlled office appears to be a cable modem ter- makes sense for the service provider.” PONs, service providers can enhance mination system, and the PON optical DPC works in concert with Allop- their current networks in a phased ap- network terminal at the customer prem- tic’s other products including its RFOG proach, with new network elements ises takes the place of the cable modem, MicroNode ONUs, GePON OLTs and that accommodate both greenfield and resulting in PON performance from a ONTs and the GEMS management sys- brownfield deployments, integrating DOCSIS-controlled network. tem to allow increased operational effi- tried-and-true technologies where rip- “DPC solves several problems for ciencies, bandwidth gains and the ability and-replace isn’t economically feasible. Zhone Integrates Alloptic RFOG Technology with GPON From BBP Wires video services without replacing existing seamless consumer experience. analog video headend equipment. The Steven Glapa, vice president of OAKLAND, CA – Zhone Technolo- partnership ensures Zhone customers the product management and marketing gies Inc. (www.zhone.com) announced greatest flexibility in delivering up-to-the- for Zhone, says, “Integrated GPON – the expansion of its GPON portfolio minute entertainment services including RFOG enables intelligent processes like through a strategic agreement with Allop- tic, a leader in radio frequency over glass interactive programming, video on de- targeted ad placement, content-aware (RFOG) solutions. Integrating RFOG mand and pay-per-view over RF-based programming and Layer 3 management with Zhone’s standards-based GPON video networks. Integrating GPON and – all critical to increased carrier revenues system boosts available spectrum and en- RFOG allows carriers to pace migration and ultimately the quality of experience ables carriers to deliver advanced digital to all-digital networks while ensuring a for the subscriber.” Motorola to Distribute Alloptic RFOG Equipment From BBP Wires network (PON) portfolio with radio Alloptic’s RFOG solutions to leading frequency over glass (RFOG) solu- cable operators worldwide. The addi- HORSHAM, PA – Motorola (www. tions through a strategic agreement tion of these new products to Motorola’s motorola.com) announced that it has with Alloptic. The agreement provides existing portfolio of RFOG solutions broadened its cable passive optical Motorola with exclusive rights to offer addresses cable operators’ needs to cre-

90 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 ate a seamless evolution while reducing out its cable PON portfolio of access net- RFOG solution including Motorola’s operational expenditures on the path to work solutions ready for cable operators. optical headend, transmitters and other all-fiber infrastructures. By helping to protect existing invest- equipment. The Alloptic node will be The cable industry is seeking ways to ments in infrastructure and customer branded as Motorola equipment and extend fiber deeper into the network to premises equipment, RFOG minimizes supported by Motorola. Waggoner adds, capital expenditure and provides cable “At some point we believe the operator provide increased video capacity, voice operators the ability to gracefully evolve environment will move to all-fiber, so and ultra-broadband data services to to an all-fiber network. it’s important for us to have the evolu- business and residential customers. To According to Floyd Waggoner, se- tionary steps….Every operator is differ- meet this need, Motorola offers solutions nior manager of marketing in Motoro- ent – some will move sooner than oth- including fiber deep hybrid fiber/coax la’s access network division, Motorola ers – but in five or 10 years there will (HFC) and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). will be selling Alloptic customer-prem- be a continued growth in the amount With this agreement, Motorola rounds ises equipment as part of an end-to-end of FTTH.” Aurora Networks Expands RFOG-Plus-PON Solution From BBP Wires which, together with the company’s ex- Designed to introduce PON into existing VHub, Node PON module and isting RFOG environments, or vice versa, SANTA CLARA, CA – Aurora Net- GePON CPE, complete a full single- Aurora Networks’ VHub OR4168 mod- works Inc. (www.aurora.com) announced the new OR4168 Virtual fiber, end-to-end RFPON solution en- ule enables operators to extend network Hub (VHub) module and CP8013U abling cable operators to leverage exist- reach to over 60 km using a single fiber to customer premises equipment (CPE), ing and future fiber investments. provide a local service area concentration

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 91 point for management of downstream video, voice and data services, including and UPS powering options. and upstream RFOG and PON wave- DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem traffic. It John Dahlquist, vice president of lengths. The module also facilitates route fits in a compact die-cast housing that marketing at Aurora Networks, ex- redundancy for high network reliability provides a rugged, RF-shielded environ- plains, “Our complete RFPON solution and increases VHub efficiency and cost ment for long-term stability and reliabil- not only serves as a way to extend capa- savings by consolidating the functional- ity, and is supplied with a power inserter. bilities in traditional RFOG situations, ity of three separate products. The CP8013U is supported by a full line but is also a significant new tool for op- The new CP8013U RFOG CPE sup- of outdoor housings with optimized fi- erators to address the largely untapped ports triple play service requirements for ber management, as well as standard commercial services market.” Hitachi and PBN Team Up to Deliver FTTP Solutions for Cable TV Operators From BBP Wires existing headend and customer premises mizes operational expense for powering infrastructure. The Node+Zero module, and network balancing, and the combi- ATLANTA, GA – Hitachi Telecom introduced in June 2008, is transparent nation of RFOG and PON offers a very (www.hitel.com) and Pacific Broad- to existing DOCSIS and CMTS proto- flexible deployment model that allows band Networks (www.pbn.com.au) an- cols and management systems, and ac- operators to closely match network im- nounced a technology partnership to develop fiber-to-the-premises solutions commodates RF headend and customer- provements to revenue potential. Ac- for hybrid fiber/coax network operators. premises equipment combinations from cording to Hitachi, the solution provides The first product from this collaboration, virtually any manufacturer. more consistent service to existing cus- designed and specified by Hitachi, is the RFOG extends the fiber optic path tomers, while providing market growth Hitachi Node+Zero RFOG module, a to the subscriber’s premises via a PON potential for higher-ARPU small and single-fiber FTTP solution that leverages outside plant architecture. PON mini- medium business customers. Focus on Next-Gen Systems OKI Prototypes First 160 Gbps PON System From BBP Wires ing (OTDM) and Optical Code Division video. Transmitting signals at a speed of Multiplexing (OCDM). 160 Gbps, or 64 160 Gbps on a single optical fiber down- TOKYO – OKI Electric Industry (www. times the capacity of a GPON system, stream means that super high-resolution oki.com) announced it has developed the is equivalent to streaming six channels and high-quality video delivery service world’s first 160 Gbps PON system using of uncompressed ultra-high-definition can be offered for purposes such as movie hybrid Optical Time Division Multiplex- video or 33 channels of high-definition distribution and telemedicine. Vitesse Chipset Enables 10 Gbps EPON From BBP Wires implement faster data rates within the dard, which allows for the coexistence of existing network infrastructure. 1G-EPON and 10G-EPON systems on CAMARILLO, CA – Vitesse Semicon- Driving the need for these higher data the same distribution network. Accord- ductor Corporation (www.vitesse.com) rates are multi-dwelling units (MDUs) ing to Angus Lai, product marketing announced a complete physical media and small and medium-sized enterprise manager for Vitesse, many industry ex- (SME) businesses where bandwidth- dependent (PMD) chipset for 10 Gbps perts foresee 10G-EPON-based products intensive applications and services (HD Ethernet passive optical networks (10Ge- IPTV, VoD, VoIP, and peer-to-peer net- maturing enough for initial commercial PON). Designed to be used in next-gen- working) are now required. deployments by late 2009 or early 2010. eration fiber-to-the-home deployments, To address this need, Vitesse pairs four Vitesse is also working with Tekno- this chipset provides OEMs an acceler- integrated circuits. The chipset is compli- vus, Emcore and Anritsu in developing ated and cost-effective migration path to ant with the IEEE P802.3av/D3.0 stan- 10G and 40G PON, as well as wave-

92 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 division multiplexing PON, in access compatibility and a smooth upgrade teroperability with subsystem and com- networks, developing solutions that pro- path from existing PON networks. The ponent vendors and shortening time to vide standards compliance, backward group’s objectives include proving in- market for OEMs. PMC-Sierra Announces Availability of Symmetric 10G EPON Platforms From BBP Wires equipment, according to Raphael Sankar, PMC-Sierra says these solutions are vice president of marketing for PMC-Si- interoperable with the more than 7 mil- SANTA CLARA, CA – PMC-Sierra erra’s Fiber to the Home Business Unit. lion EPON optical network terminals (www.pmc-sierra.com) announced the He adds, “This performance will allow deployed worldwide that are based on availability of complete systems for sym- carriers to provide new services, such as PMC-Sierra’s devices. This enables a metric 10GePON, including optical line the next level of HDTV broadcasting smooth and gradual upgrade from Ge- terminals and optical network terminals. and advanced business offerings, while PON to 10GePON, while lowering carri- Carriers have already begun trials of this further reducing capital expenditures.” ers’ capital and operational expenditures. Calix Expands Partnership with Xangati From BBP Wires broadband service delivery, announced a ment System (CMS) and the Xangati reseller relationship with Xangati (www. Application Management 2.0 solution. PETALUMA, CA – Calix (www.calix. xangati.com), based on the positive ser- The integration of Xangati with com), the largest telecom equipment sup- vice provider response to initial integra- CMS provides a 360-degree perspective plier focused solely on access solutions for tion efforts between the Calix Manage- into every network subscriber’s applica-

Televes, the leading global manufacturer of QAM technology and Pace, the trusted leader in the MDU and commercial marketplace, have partnered to bring you unparalleled content and hardware products…and the resoluteness to back you up with training, system design, and office support. Together we can offer you the best in HD technology with a very low cost of entry. Period. For over 51 years, Televes, ‘the Bull from Spain’ has delivered television to billions of subscribers around the globe, operating in over 56 countries, and producing the most advanced in digital television products. Driven by the same tenacity and commitment required of those that ‘Run with the Bulls’, Pace is committed to delivering the best solution for operators in the multiplatform marketplace. Together, Pace and Televes are committed to your success. Pace, Televes and the Bulls…are YOU ready to run with US?! Limited time only: sign up to follow Vern Swedin’s training blog as he makes his way to Pamplona, Spain on July 9th to Run with the Bulls! www.paceintl.com/vern/runningofthebulls

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April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 93 tion usage and overall traffic. A single two-rack unit appliance, Customers benefit from the combined solution in the fol- the Xangati solution plugs into any available data management lowing ways: network port and is treated as just another operations support system in the back office. The solution has zero footprint in • They can anticipate problems that could affect service levels the network, with no hardware probes or software agents. Ser- and rapidly identify those that already have vice providers can use the combination of Xangati and CMS to • They can see which applications and end users are monopo- dramatically lower OPEX by remotely identifying, diagnosing, lizing critical resources and resolving many network problems without dispatching a • They can see the effects of major changes on high-value re- field technician to the subscriber premises. sources. Providers Plan to Apply for Broadband Stimulus Funding From BBP Wires 2009), while 40 percent intend to apply a project. But separate parts or functions for funds in all three rounds. of the same network can be funded by PETALUMA, CA – In a recent survey About 60 percent of Calix customers one agency or the other. of its customers, Calix (www.calix.com) will approach both the NTIA and the The top three technology combina- found that 38 percent are planning to apply for broadband stimulus funds, RUS for funding; the agencies have en- tions that these providers will propose for and another 39 percent are considering couraged such an approach, even though funding are 1) GPON, active Ethernet applying. Eighteen percent will apply the statute says NTIA and RUS funds and wireless broadband; 2) GPON alone; only for Round One funding (Spring cannot be combined in the same parts of and 3) GPON and wireless broadband. Rural Utilities Service Approves Additional Equipment From BBP Wires • Calient Networks’ DiamondWave automated fiber cross- connect product family With the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (also called Rural De- • Clearfield’s FieldSmart Fiber Delivery Point (FDP) Open velopment Utilities Programs) emerging as one of the primary Pedestal Insert sources of funding for broadband builds, its list of approved • Occam Networks’ BLC 6000 series 6322 GPON Optical equipment becomes even more critical. Recent additions to the Line Terminal (OLT) and ON 2400 series Optical Net- list include the following: work Terminals (ONTs) • ADC’s LSX Fiber Panel product family • Zhone’s MALC OLT and zNID ONT GPON platforms. Versa Technology Introduces GePON Product Line From BBP Wires home and MTU/DMU/MHU includes essary for multichannel high-resolution the central-office concentrator VX- video delivery as well as high-speed data CHINO, CA – Communications equip- EP3120 and the customer-side ONT (op- and toll-quality voice with RF video to ment provider Versa Technology (www. tical network terminal). The VX-EP3120 all customers on the PON. versatek.com) announced the develop- concentrates traffic from up to 20 PONs The product line secures a migra- ment and release of a new GePON prod- and 16 or 32 ONTs. The reach is up to 20 tion path to the premises for IP-centric uct line. Versa says its GePON solution km at the maximum speed of 1.25 Gbps. services such as VLAN, multicasting, can support everything providers need Versa’s “shelf” type of CO-side concen- link aggregation, multilayer filtering, to deliver fiber to the home and to the trator enables a wide variety of deploy- rate limiting, class of service (CoS) and building with speeds up to 1 Gbps to ment options of FTTP from customer’s quality of service (QoS). A robust, open the subscriber and CATV overlay. premises to carrier’s office. It guarantees Web-based management system pro- Versa Technology’s Gigabit Ether- competitive access performance beyond vides capabilities for operation adminis- net PON platform for the single-family 100 Mbps bandwidth per subscriber nec- tration, maintenance and provisioning.

94 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Clearfield Expands Product Line From BBP Wires disposable FieldSmart “Parking Block” challenges due to the age of buildings. for easy and rapid deployment. In another announcement, Clearfield MINNEAPOLIS – Fiber management While MDU applications are usually says it has repackaged the splitters used solution specialist Clearfield (www.clear- considered an urban or suburban issue, in its outside plant PON cabinets into fieldconnection.com) has expanded its Clearfield president and CEO Cheri an industry-standard LGX footprint for FieldSmart product line with the “PON Podzimek explains that for rural telcos – alternative applications. This product is in a PED” and “PON in a Box,” for Clearfield’s traditional market – MDUs available preterminated with a connec- small communities and multiple dwell- in small towns often present greater tor of choice. ing units, respectively. PON in a PED lets broadband service providers manage fiber with industry-standard pedestals with a separate Clearfield-factory precon- figured insert. The solution provides fiber Prepare your community for tomorrow connectivity, cable drop splicing, sheath- with Connexion Technologies… to-sheath splicing and optical component housings within the Clearview Cassette. This allows service providers to protect fiber with a much smaller footprint than a traditional fiber distribution hub. The PON in a PED is tailored for communities and neighborhoods from 12 to 96 homes. It reduces deployment costs as no pad or underground enclosure is needed at the installation point, and it reduces operational expenses with faster installations and lower inventory levels. Allocation of cassette splicing to multiple cable sheaths, along with mid- span capable hardware, allows the user to express fiber buffer tubes through the pedestal or provide an interconnect point for separate but parallel networks. The PON in a Box is an indoor wall- mount panel connecting 144 ports of fiber connectivity with up to four splitters in a compact 24” x 26” x 8” footprint. It is designed for deploying passive FTTH You can provide for the ever-changing technological needs networks in a multi-dwelling unit, and of residents without touching your budget. By partnering with allows for 12 to 144 ports of connectiv- Connexion Technologies to install a cutting-edge Fiber to the ity from a single deployment point. It Home network in your community, your residents can enjoy the is also stackable, allowing for 288-port best entertainment and communications services delivered over availability. The solution supports con- a fiber-optic network. This network will also be ready to handle figurations for deploying flat drop cable almost any new service that comes to market. to the customer dwelling unit. The 144-Port Wall Mount Panel brings the fiber protection of an outside Find out more at www.connexiontechnologies.net plant fiber distribution hub to the access or contact us at 919.535.7329. network – without the cost of a pad or underground enclosure. Splitter density is maximized through the use of splitter modules that stack together in a top- loaded splitter cage. These ruggedized outside plant-rated splitters ship with the individual legs pre-parked within a

April 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 95 calendar & ad index May 5–6 WCAI Wireless Policy Summit Grand Hyatt Hotel Washington, DC 202-452-7823 • www .wcai .com 11–13 BICSI Spring Conference Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, MD 813-979-1991 • www .bicsi .org 13–15 Building the Broadband Economy 2009 Polytechnic Institute of NYU New York, NY 646-291-6166 www .intelligentcommunity .org 17–21 INTEROP Mandalay Bay Convention Center Las Vegas, NV 800-745-6493 • www .interop .com AD INDEX 20–21 Digital City Expo Advertiser Page Website Online Event 330-467-7588 ADC 32 www.graybar.com/adc www .digitalcityexpo .com Advanced Media Technologies 76 www.amt.com AFL Telecommunications 3 www.afltele.com JUNE Allied Telesis 16 www.alliedtelesis.com 1–4 AT&T Inside Back Cover www.att.com/communities UTC Telecom 2009 Mirage Hotel & Casino Broadband Integration Group 89 www.broadbandintegration Las Vegas, NV group.com 866-996-6338 CableNOW Corp. 69 www.cablenowcorp.com www .utctelecom2009 .utc .org Calix 1 www.calix.com Charles Industries 17 www.charlesindustries.com September Connexion Technologies 95 www.connexiontechnologies.com 15 Corning Cable Systems Back Cover www.corning.com/cablesystems/ WCAI Annual International Symposium Co-located with 4G World ftthprograms McCormick Place Display Systems International 91 www.displaysystemsintl.com Chicago, IL Draka 9 www.drakaamericas.com 220-452-7823 • www .wcai .com Enablence 29 www.enablence.com 21–24 Great Lakes Data 14 www.cablebilling.com BICSI Fall Conference Hitachi 7 www.hitachi-cta.com MGM Grand Hotel & Convention Center Multicom, Inc. 19 www.multicominc.com Las Vegas, NV OFS 5 www.ofsoptics.com 813-979-1991 • www .bicsi .org Pace Electronics 93 www.paceintl.com 25–27 Preformed Line Products 11 www.preformed.com CTAM 2009 SMS 77 www.smstv.com Denver Convention Center Speed Wire, Inc. 28 www.speedwireinc.com Denver, CO www .ctamconferences .com Spot On Networks 74 www.spotonetworks.com Sumitomo Electric Lightwave 74 www.sumitomoelectric.com / 27–Oct 1 www.futureflex.com FTTH Conference George R Brown Convention Center Suttle 20 www.suttleonline.com Houston, TX Telco Systems 65 www.telco.com 613-226-9988 Verizon Enhanced Communities Inside Front Cover www.verizon.com/communities www .ftthconference .com

96 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | April 2009 Connected Communities

Necessity has evolved.

Technology is always changing. You want to know that what you have today won’t be obsolete tomorrow. AT&T Connected CommunitiesSM ensures that your residents have all of the high speed Internet, Advanced TV, and voice necessities of modern living. AT&T’s state-of-the-art network, incorporating fiber technology, delivers next-generation services to your communities. Call today and maximize the value of your property both now and for the future.

To learn more, visit att.com/communities

Enhanced Gold Sponsor of the Broadband Properties Conference. Booth #400 contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. affiliated and/or AT&T Property Intellectual of AT&T trademarks are herein contained © 2008 – 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks and all other AT&T logo the AT&T AT&T, reserved. All rights Property. Intellectual 2009 AT&T – © 2008

Client /AT&T Wireline Business Prod. Manager /Cheryl Sparks Ad# /6201-MG-A1 ? Traffic /Sherri Walton Title /“Necessities” Digital Artist /jayne a. / ew Media /4/c Program Art Director /Adnan Sabic Size /7.875"x 10.75" trim Copywriter /Jessen Wabeke 8.125"x 11" bleed Acct Manager /Travis Rodden © 2009. All rights reserved. 314.436.9960 7"x 10" live Date Prepared /03/18/2009 Pub /Multi-Housing News EV-02577_BBPAPRIL09:Layout 1 3/2/09 12:03 PM Page 1

From concept to completion ...

Corning is with you every step of the way.

Through its Total Access Programsm (TAP), Corning Connected Community™ (CCC) and FTTxpert™ Program, Corning Cable Systems offers seminars, extended warranties, online technical assistance and hands-on training to support your FTTH deployments.Whether you are a contractor, service provider or consultant, Corning has a program for you. www.corning.com/cablesystems/ftthprograms

™ FTTxpertProgram