Adtran turns IADs into ONTs for FTTP

After its partner in the space suspended operations, Adtran this week unveiled its first internally developed customer premises products for fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks, which were based on the design of its own IP business gateways.

Adtran’s new Total Access 351 and 352 gigabit passive optical networking (GPON) optical network terminals (ONTs), which start shipping next month, were based on the 900 series of IP business gateways in the vendor’s integrated access device (IAD) portfolio. As such, while the new ONTs have lower port densities than those IADs, they have much of the same tested technology, so they already have proven interoperability with common softswitches and legacy interfaces as well as voice quality monitoring. That means that the technology in Adtran’s new ONTs are more mature and feature-rich from day one than they would be if the vendor started designing an ONT from scratch, Adtran said.

“And in a business IAD design, there’s routing capabilities in there that give us the ability to add differentiation over the life of product that lot of competitors don’t have,” said Mike Martin, director of product management for Adtran’s carrier networks division.

Future models will include support for RF video, RF-over-glass (designed for cable operators) and Home Phoneline Networking Alliance, or HPNA technology, which allows interface with a home’s phone lines and coaxial cable. Adtran is also working on an ONT for multidwelling units.

For the past year or so, the ONTs Adtran has been shipping with its Total Access 5000 platform (used for various applications by the top eight service providers in the US), came through its partnership with TXP, a Texas company that licensed its ONT technology from Siemens. However, TXP halted operations in December after defaulting on payments to a major investor and resumed operations this month as it continues to seek additional financing. Adtran prefers not to say much about that relationship. “It’s something we’ve dealt with,” Martin said.