The Black Box

[hardcore]

Excellent article on Verizon and it's FTTP plans, HLIT also mentioned

http://www.cedmagazine.com/ced/2004/0304/03a.htm

.....
Harmonic Inc., for example, has received plenty of interest from the RBOCs for an FTTP video overlay that looks very similar to what cable operators use today, says David Piehler, vice president, research and development for the vendor’s broadband access networks division. Among its wares, Harmonic offers a video overlay platform that includes cable TV-type transmitters, optical amplifiers, certain passive elements and some set-top box controller technology.

Analyst firm UBS agreed with that sentiment in recent research, noting that it believes Harmonic is “well-positioned to win the video overlay portion” of Verizon’s FTTP deployment, and that Harmonic could begin driving Verizon FTTP revenue as early as the fourth quarter of this year.

The RBOCs are looking at the overlay, Piehler says, because high definition television (HDTV) has changed the whole paradigm and completely altered the bandwidth requirements for video services.

“It’s harder to do HD over a switched video architecture,” Piehler argues. “Two years ago, HD wasn’t a big issue, but [today] on Day 1 they’ve already peaked out if they want to offer that in switched video format.”

Although the RBOCs are generating the most buzz around FTTP, the independent telcos, utilities and municipalities still represent the core of activity, says Michael Wearsch, vice president of North American sales for Wave7 Optics, another FTTP platform provider.

“I think the next 12 months will be a ramp-up year [for FTTP],” adds Facca of C-COR.net. “It’ll be a year to allow perspective customers to prove the technology and run trials.”

For C-COR, which markets a platform called FTTmaX, that has translated into wins with companies such as Cable Bahamas, which provides cable services on 16 Bahamian Islands.