RFOG picture is coming clear

What: RF Over Glass; also referred to as "cable PON"

How it works: Instead of traditional hybrid fiber-coaxial cable infrastructure, cable TV companies could deliver RF-based video over fiber all the way to a home termination point in a passive optical network-like architecture.

Why you should care: Deployment cost would be higher, but long-term operational cost would be lower, due to lower power requirements. Also, overall improved signal deliver over fiber will enhance service capabilities.

Who's working with it: 2008 could be a big year for this technology. Motorola got great notice late last year when discussing its plans for the technology, but Alloptic already has an RFOG product, and Calix just announced an RFOG/GPON optical network terminal today. CommScope, Arris Group, Cisco Systems also have been listed as RFOG purveyors.

For more: 
- here's a Calix press release posted at TMCnet
- read this story reported last month by Multichannel News