mPhase unwraps video package with Lucent, Kasenna

mPhase Technologies, one of the few remaining companies from the earliest telco video era, today announced the second generation of its TV+ System, aimed at allowing carriers the ability to offer interactive services.

Key to the new system is a significant capacity boost. Teaming up with Lucent Technologies, mPhase said its system can now serve up to 1000 subscribers up to 250 video streams over a single Lucent Stinger Access Concentrator DSLAM. The new release also includes an upgraded set top box that enhances remote maintenance and operation for service provider technicians Additionally, the company is unveiling a new Electronic Program Guide that allows consumers to order premium time-shifted content provided through a Kasenna video server.

mPhase previously had been aligned with Lucent, though its system will interoperate across any vendor’s DSLAMs.

"We believe that the Lucent Stinger is the best DSLAM on the market today for video," said Mike Devlin, executive vice president of sales and business development for mPhase. "Their density has gone from 500 video subscribers to something that is head and shoulders above everyone else. The other thing that’s interesting about the Stinger is that you don’t have to swap out cards if you’ve got data customers that want to add video service."

The additional channel capacity is done largely through an increase in the DSLAMs back plane bandwidth, he said.

At the set-top box, the newest version, which along with the entire system will be available in September, functions as an intelligent network interface with an integrated DSL modem. And while mPhase has yet to jump into the IP set-top box market, it’s something the company likely will do soon, Devlin said.