NTCA: Optical Solutions goes long-distance on GPON

SAN ANTONIO--Optical Solutions Inc. this week launched a Gigabit PON optical line terminal that can be placed up to 52 miles from a central office and still provide IP-based triple-play services.

The FiberPath 590 OLT+, unveiled at the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association show here, is an environmentally hardened system that includes integrated transport for remote ring applications. OSI, which has been deploying fiber-to-the-home systems with independent telcos for several years, is targeting carriers with very remote locations that want to migrate immediately to a GPON architecture.

"This allows us to go into those markets that are just out of reach," said Mike Dagenais, president and CEO of Optical Solutions. "This allows us, through a hardened chassis, to service a very remote area."

Among the potential applications for carriers are remote developments or resorts. Additionally, Dagenais said he anticipates some carriers using it to extend the range of their potential CLEC territories.

The 590, which was developed in conjunction with access vendor TelStrat, is connected to the CO using either a Sonet or gig E interface. Long-term, the unit is engineered with enough bandwidth to preclude carriers from ever having to replace a chassis.

"We've fundamentally extended the principles of the DLC," Dagenais said.