LUCENT, CIENA REDEFINE ROLES IN ACCESS EQUIPMENT MARKET

Lucent this week is pulling the wraps off a new access platform specifically targeting greenfield deployments. The platform, to be branded Multimedia Access Platform, is meant to complement the company's Stinger DSLAM and AnyMedia access system and is part of a larger repositioning of the company in the access market. The move also comes just one week after Ciena decided to reshape its own position by narrowing the focus for its broadband loop carrier.

The MAP will include much of the functions of an IPDSLAM or broadband loop carrier (BLC), but is designed to be flexible, supporting PON, point-to-point Ethernet and WiMAX architectures. Within the PON “module,” the company is launching what it's calling smartPON, which allows for Ethernet or Gigabit PONs. The GPON play puts Lucent on the same track as several other vendors moving into the space as at least three Bell companies prepare a GPON request for proposal.

“This is our pure IP Ethernet complement,” said Rob Piconi, vice president and general manager for broadband solutions at Lucent, noting that since the beginning of the year, carriers' bandwidth capacity requirements have dramatically increased.

To that end, Lucent is packing a lot of punch into the new platform. Each slot within the 14-slot chassis will support up to 10 Gb/s, a nod to what Piconi said is increasing desire to deploy bandwidth-hogging video services.

“A lot of our customers are not only deploying video but HD video,” he said. “With the World Cup, a lot of our customers want to offer enhanced services, and that's a big part of it. From a bandwidth capacity standpoint, we'll have tremendous scalability.”

The MAP also will be among the first of Lucent's access products to be based on the Advanced TCA design, which will allow the company to build on standard hardware. The software for the platform also is being written on Linux.

“If you think about our customers, they benefit on capex and opex savings, but Lucent also benefits because instead of spending our research on hardware, that helps reduce my cost. It also helps me focus our R&D on those things that make us different,” Piconi said. “The benefit is not only lower cost but faster speed to market.”

Lucent's access platform expansion comes as the segment is becoming increasingly stratified. The company still holds a significant portion of the DSLAM market, but is trailing long-time segment leader Alcatel and is battling with fast-rising competitors. However, over the next 12 months, access spending is expected to increase significantly, and many larger vendors are positioning themselves for a potential shake-up in market share by creating end-to-end systems.

One company that likely won't be appearing in those statistics is Ciena, which last week said it would stop marketing its CN 1000 BLC internationally as part of an overall refocusing of the company. At the company's analyst day last week, CEO Gary Smith said Ciena is trying to be more targeted on specific segments.

“We're not a commodity access equipment provider,” he said. “But there are specific applications we can pick off and be valuable to our customers.”

Like virtually all vendors, the company believes it can play a role in the IPTV market. In particular, it is positioning the soon-to-be-launched CNX-5 IP as a transition digital loop carrier product.

“What that offers to service providers is the ability to continue to invest in their [existing] CNs,” James Frodsham, senior vice president and general manager of Ciena's Broadband Access Group, said during the conference. “It's designed to intercept the ongoing DSL infrastructure buildout and offer the ability to leverage the installed cabinet infrastructure.”