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NewsGlobe: Interviews
Hitachi ups the FTTH ante
Touts flexible network approach
by Sean Buckley
For Hitachi Telecom USA, FTTH is a natural fit. The company currently offers a wide range of access and traditional DWDM optical gear.
Unlike other vendors that have come down on either the PON or Active Ethernet side, Hitachi has taken a more agnostic approach that is set on adapting to a service provider’s unique service and network situation. In the following Audiocast, Executive Editor Sean Buckley talks to David Foote, CTO of Hitachi Telecom about the state of the worldwide FTTH market.
Foote answers the following questions:
• According to a recent study commissioned by the Fiber-to-the-Home
Council and the TIA, there’s now more than 2 million homes connected to
fiber. What do you contribute that growth to and what’s your take on
the overall state of the FTTH market?
• Outside of the large telcos in the U.S., it’s clear that the momentum for
FTTH is growing amongst smaller service providers, particularly with
independent operators and municipalities. Some have told me the driver
to go to FTTH is basically just plain competition and the rising cost of
copper, but what’s your take?
• Despite their dedication to DOCSIS, it’s clear that the cable industry is
interested in fiber-to-the-home. While the majority of the initial
deployments are being done by smaller indepent phone operators with
cable arms or medium-sized cable operators, do you think with the
oncoming RFoG standard and RF return products we’ll see more
movement by the cable industry to FTTH?
• Like every other telecom industry segment, FTTH has had its fair share
of debate over two main architectural approaches: point-to-point Active
Ethernet and PON. Do you believe there are advantages/disadvantages
to each approach?
• While targeting single-family homes with FTTH has enough of its own
challenges, going into an MDU is even more challenging because you
have to deal with existing wiring and older construction. Do you see
continued interest in service providers targeting the MDU environment,
and what are the real challenges of bringing FTTH to MDUs?
Click here to listen to the Audiocast
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