Icotera launches Layer 2 point-to-point residential fiber gateway for open access FTTH

Danish company Icotera A/S has unveiled a point-to-point Layer 2 residential fiber gateway – the IGW 1000 S – designed to address the growing popularity of open access networks for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH).

Open access networks are designed to foster service competition by enabling multiple providers to use the same fiber-optic network infrastructure. A key feature of the IGW 1000 S, says Icotera, is the fact that it is vendor independent. Since the equipment is not locked in to any proprietary back-end network systems, it allows other third-party access points to be connected. For the network operator and service provider, this means that there are no limits as to what systems and products they can include in their network architecture – before and after the fiber termination point, the company says.

In addition to promoting vendor independence, Icotera says it also designed the gateway to support easy management and installation as well as provide smart home enablement.

The easy management comes via TR-069 and auto-provisioning, which Icotera means less work from operators and service providers. Firmware upgrades are completed quickly and in a fail-proof manner with dual-bank firmware. Also, there is no requirement for network operators to invest in expensive (and vendor-locked-in) management systems; the IGW 1000 S is ready to be controlled by the majority of today’s management systems and protocols, e.g., SNMP, CLI via SSH or Telnet, TR-069 and an operator friendly web interface, or Icotera’s own auto provisioning mechanism.

The IGW 1000 S provides a new take on Layer 2 customer premises equipment (CPE), the company asserts. Layer 2-based FTTH CPE has lacked proper management and offered very few features, the company asserts – typically VLANs, 802.1p, etc. In addition to such standard features, the IGW 1000 S also supports features required in advanced open access networks, including Layer 2 to Layer 4 packet filtering (including IPv6); shaping, marking, and queuing; on-device packet dumping; 802.1ad – QinQ; dual bank firmware upgrade, and more.

Another future-oriented feature is the smart home platform integrated into the gateway. The platform enables end-users to take advantage of alarm and surveillance, energy management, and home automation systems offered by the service provider or network operator, providing operators with opportunities for additional revenue streams and increased customer loyalty.

Icotera plans to launch the product across Europe, and expects it to be a "blockbuster," especially in Sweden, where open access CPE has become standard.

For more information on FTTx/access systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.