Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX: VCM) used this week’s 2022 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo to debut the Entra EXS1610 All-PON, a shelf-based optical line terminal (OLT) for PON-based fiber to the premises (FTTP) support. True to its name, the EXS1610 can support XGS-PON, GPON, 10G-EPON, and EPON. A “combo PON” capability enables simultaneous XGS-PON and GPON topologies.
Features of the EXS1610 All-PON OLT include:
- 16 PON ports
- 2x100/40G and 2x25/10G uplink optics with broad third-party optics support
- interoperability with a wide variety of optical network terminals (ONTs) from several suppliers
- A 300-mm depth designed for ETSI-racks
- 1+1 AC or DC power redundancy
- a temperature-hardened shelf for OSP deployments.
“The Entra EXS1610 All-PON Shelf is an extension of Vecima’s award-winning and market-leading PON solution offerings,” said Vijay Raman, vice president of fiber access product line management at Vecima. “We believe our open and flexible support of multiple PON variants, and our shelf and node platforms offer a variety of fiber-to-the-premises deployment options for our existing and future customers.”
Historically a supplier of equipment for DOCSIS-based HFC networks, Vecima jumped into the PON game via its acquisition of Nokia’s Unified Cable Access product portfolio in 2020 (see “Nokia to sell DOCSIS Distributed Access Architecture and EPON/DPoE lines to Vecima Networks”). At the show, a source at the company said the shelf-based OLT complements the company’s existing 10G-EPON remote OLTs, a line that Dell’Oro Group has cited as the market share leader.
The source said that the company hasn’t seen much in the way of operators who began with EPON considering a switch to XGS-PON as they make their 10G PON technology decisions. Vecima’s 10G-EPON and XGS-PON capabilities have very similar cost points, which means there isn’t an economic reason to make such a switch.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.