Occam Networks expanded its line of Broadband Loop Carriers with an Optical Line Termination (OLT) blade that delivers gigabit class active Ethernet services over fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) networks. 
The company said active Ethernet FTTP offers several significant advantages over BPON or GPON solutions, including the ability to deliver up to one gigabit per second 1 Gbps of bandwidth to each subscriber premise, rather than sharing the capacity via a 1:16, 1:32 or 1:64 split. Occam argues that active Ethernet makes more efficient use of expensive optical ports, allowing the telco to install lasers when subscribers order a higher bandwidth service and to add capacity only when the number of subscribers increases. Because there are no load balance issues as with PON splitters, telcos should be able to control bandwidth according to established service level agreements (SLAs). An active network plant enables location-based fault discovery from the central office using a handheld tester. Active Ethernet can support single or dual fiber topologies with a range laser power budgets. Finally, Occam argues that an active Ethernet architecture would enable a telco to maintain a mixed fiber and copper plant without a change in CO equipment.
Occam's product rollout includes the BLC 6312 Optical Line Termination (OLT) blade for the company's BLC 6000 Broadband Loop Carrier System and the ON 2240, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT). The BLC 6312 OLT blade is an Ethernet switch with 22 optical Gigabit Ethernet subscriber ports and two 10 Gigabit Ethernet Intelligent Blade Interconnect Architecture (IBIA) ports. It can be deployed as a single, standalone 1 RU product, which can be stacked with additional units to add capacity and redundancy, or it can be added to the BLC 6000 System chassis for use in high-density deployments. As with other blades for Occam's BLC 6000, the 6312 OLT is environmentally hardened and suitable for deployment in either Central Offices or Remote Terminal cabinets closer to the subscribers.
Occam is partnering with two other companies for the customer-located ONT. Interfaces on the ONT will include 2 POTS (optional 2 additional POTS), 6 Ethernet 10/100TX ports, and a GigE SFP Socket for single or dual fiber plant. Bandwidth can be set in 64 kbps increments. Software support for the ONT includes, VoIP, IGMP for IPTV, NAT, Firewall, and SNMP Management. The ONT is powered by a 12 V DC Power supply inside the home and comes with an outside enclosure with space for a backup battery.
Wisconsin-based independent operating companies (IOCs), LaValle Telephone Cooperative and Richland-Grant Telephone Cooperative, will be among the first companies to field test the Occam FTTP solution.
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- Earlier this month, Occam Networks enhanced its BLC 6000 System with a software upgrade that adds support for several new ADSL2Plus features, including bonding, Annex M, Annex L and Seamless Rate Adaptation (SRA). Bonding provides the ability to bond or combine two ADSL2Plus channels to deliver a single high-speed data stream over a DSL service. This data stream provides an aggregate data rate of more than 48 Mbps. Annex M doubles upstream data rates. Annex L, also known as Reach Extended ADSL, extends DSL line reach, making it possible for Telcos to offer DSL service to subscribers who are more than 18,000 feet from the BLC 6000 System. ADSL2Plus Seamless Rate Adaptation (SRA) software allows modems to make seamless data transfer rate changes to avoid dropping a connection.
