DSL

NSN cools on FTTH, drops GPON

Dan O'Shea — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:49:17 -0400

Nokia Siemens Networks confirmed that it is exiting the market for gigabit passive optical network systems for fiber-to-the-home networks. The vendor's move comes after some speculation, and NSN essentially believes that alternative fiber architectures, such as fiber-to-the-curb, will drive the market for now, rather than FTTH. The decision also comes a few months after Tellabs exited GPON activities at Verizon Communications. Tellabs still offers GPON capabilities, though the GPON market has become increasingly competitive, with Adtran also entering the space.

NSN has been making some interesting moves lately. The vendor also seemed to cool on provider backbone transport technology after BT back-burnered the controversial technology. More recently, the vendor won a major voice network management deal from U.S. telco Embarq, and expressed plans to get more involved in the North American market.

With GPON in the rearview mirror, NSN now plans to focus on DSL and development of next-generation optical access (NGOA) technologies. Some carriers are sticking with DSL and FTTC-like architectures for now, or only pursuing FTTH in greenfield deployment scenarios. BT was one carrier that recently committed to that sort of plan.

For more:
- see this story at Light Reading

Related articles:
BT announced its fiber network plans last week. BT report
NSN also recently became less excited about PBT. NSN report
NSN posted strong revenue growth last week. NSN report

Report: Huawei edging ahead of Alca-Lu in DSL ports

Dan O'Shea — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:12:19 -0400

Alcatel-Lucent has long been the dominant DSL port vendor in the world, making economic sense of the market when it only vexed other vendors, and holding the top spot in DSL ports shipped worldwide quarter after quarter for several years. Now, according to at least one research firm, Alca-Lu is losing its grip on the market to China's Huawei Technologies.

Broadbandtrends reports that Huawei has taken the lead in this market with 31% share. However, another research firm, Dittberner Associates, said Alcate-Lucent is still ahead, with a 30.1% share to Huawei's 29.2%. Broadbandtrends and still another research firm, Infonetics Research, show that Huawei has moved ahead is the specific segment of IP DSL port shipments, significant because IP-based ports eventually will completely replace ATM-based ports.

For more:
- read this report at Light Reading Europe

Related articles:
Vonage last month said it will re-sell Covad DSL Vonage report
Verizon just announced a faster DSL service plan Verizon report

Vonage lowers loss, will sell DSL via Covad

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

VoIP service provider Vonage reported first-quarter earnings today that were marked by higher revenue, a lower net loss and moderating growth in customer additions, but the real news today regarding the company was buried deep in the earnings announcement. Vonage is expanding its reach into the broadband market through a partnership with Covad Communications under which Vonage will offer 3 Mbps and 6 Mbps DSL service packages under the Vonage Broadband brand. Covad is a nationwide DSL wholesaler, allowing Vonage to immediately jump into the ranks of national broadband service providers. Vonage will launch Vonage Broadband by the end of the year. The implications for the broadband market at large remain to be seen, but this is shaping up as a bold move by a company that seemed to be knocked against the ropes last year by several VoIP patent lawsuits from established telcos. Pure-play VoIP players may still have limited future options, but things could get interesting if Vonage is able to re-cast itself as a full broadband service provider.

Now for the first quarter numbers: Vonage's net loss was way down from $72 million in the first quarter of 2007 to only about $9 million this year. Revenue was up 15 percent to $224.6 million, and the company added 30,000 subscribers.

For more:
- check out this coverage at Forbes
- see this press release from Vonage and Covad

Related articles:
- Vonage recently saw its chief legal officer depart. Vonage report
- Vonage settled four patent lawsuits within the last year. Vonage's lawsuits

Calix adds new ONTs to MDU market fray

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Equipment vendor Calix Networks is launching a new series of optical network terminals for gigabit passive optical network architectures targeted at multi-dwelling unit deployments-in short, GPON ONTs for MDUs. The MDU market opportunity has been heating up since last year, when the Federal Communications Commission repealed contract exclusivity between cable TV firms and MDU building owners. More recently, Verizon Communications acknowledged it was making a more aggressive push into the MDU market, in particular the MDU-rich New York City market. However, with support for four to eight interfaces, Calix may have smaller MDUs in mind with this product launch, with VDSL probably still the preferred method for very large MDU structures. The new ONTs also could be used for wireless network backhaul.

Meanwhile, in related news, New York City's Department of Information, Technology and Telecommunications approved Verizon's application to offer TV services in the Big Apple.

For more:
- read this story at Light Reading
- see this article about Verizon in the New York Times
- read this feature on the MDU market at Telephony

Related articles:
The FCC also has banned exclusive phone and data MDU deals. FCC report

Qwest announces 20 Mbps, 12 Mbps on FTTN

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Qwest Communications is introducing fiber-to-the-network offerings in 23 markets under the Qwest Connect brand, hoping to have the rollout reach about 2 million customers this year. The two FTTN ADSL2+ services being launched include the Qwest Connect Quantum 20 Mbps service for $99.99 per month and the Qwest Connect Titanium 12 Mbps offering for $46.99 per month. Both services are targeted at residential and small business users. Qwest announced last year that it would be investing $300 million in an FTTN broadband upgrade, but unlike other large telcos, it does not have IPTV in mind as a primary service.

For more:
- see this Qwest press release

Related article:
Qwest announced its $300 million FTTN investment last fall. Qwest report

Nortel re-focuses global R&D organization

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Nortel Networks is restructuring its research and development organization in an effort to shift more work and more types of R&D projects to an existing facility in China. The Toronto-based vendor's Ottawa, Ontario R&D office still will remain its lead R&D outfit, but in addition to expanding in China, Nortel, which has about 12,000 R&D employees worldwide, also has identified nine R&D centers around the world that will focus on two or three core skill areas, and a few other offices that will have a particular R&D specialty. The company did not announce any new layoffs, but is still engaged in a previously announced round of job reductions that reportedly has hit the R&D portion of the company particularly hard. Some employees may be asked to relocate, but that decision has not yet been made.

For more:
- read this story at The Ottawa Citizen
- see excerpts of Nortel CTO John Roese's blog at Network World

Related article:
Nortel already announced job cuts after a dismal fourth quarter

Australia withdraws OPEL broadband funding

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:54 -0400

The Australian government has withdrawn about $869 million in funding support for a joint venture that had won an earlier government bid to build out broadband coverage to remote, underserved areas in Australia. The government said that the OPEL Networks joint venture, involving Singapore Telecommunications' Australia-based Optus unit and Futuris Corp., did not satisfy the conditions of the contract award. However, since the contract was awarded, Australia also has come under control of a new Labor government. The new government initially committed to follow through on supporting the OPEL deal, but OPEL's alleged shortcomings now give it a good excuse to re-bid the project.

For more:
- see this story at The Wall Street Journal

Windstream offers 2Wire home gateways

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:53 -0400

Independent telco Windstream Communications is offering wireless home networking gateways from 2Wire that allow multiple wireless devices in the home to share the incoming broadband connection. Such alternatives to wireline-based broadband distribution inside the home have become increasingly viable as telcos have had to overcome the challenges presented by often very old in-home wiring.

2Wire to date has had success with various home networking solutions, most notably having supported AT&T's Homezone launch. Ruckus Wireless is another vendor that has been pushing wireless home networking.

For more:
- see this story at Xchange

Related article:
- Windstream last year partnered with TiVo

Ovum: Telecom gear spending up 21% in Q4

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Research firm Ovum said that industry-wide concerns about telecom equipment spending that surfaced during the final quarter of 2007 may have been overblown, and it has proof: Global wireline equipment spending actually increased by 21 percent during the fourth quarter of last year, and was up by 18 percent for the full year of 2007. Wireline service provider capex overall for 2007 reached $32.6 billion, about 15.1 percent higher than in 2006, Ovum said.

For more:
- read this post at Circuits Assembly

Related article:
- Some service providers and vendors have offered uncertain outlooks for 2008

TeliaSonera plan FTTH roll-out in Sweden

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

After previously committing to deploy fiber-to-the home technology in Finland, TeliaSonera is now saying it will do the same in Sweden. The competitive landscape in Sweden is intriguingly complex, with some municipalities and other competitive service providers already offer services over fiber networks, while TeliaSonera's broadband offerings there, including TV, have ridden over DSL. The carrier already has 300,000 DSL triple play customers in Sweden.

With at least 500,000 customer locations in Sweden already having fiber connections from other providers, it might seem like there is not much left for TeliaSonera, but the carrier said it will target up to 2 million households and enterprises in the next five years, partly by reaching further into some of the country's smaller cities and towns.

For more:
- read this story at Light Reading Europe

Related articles:
- TeliaSonera recently began pushing rural customers in Finland toward FMC
- TeliaSonera featured in a Fierce special report this week on European IPTV