Hatteras extends copper Ethernet reach

Hatteras Networks today introduced repeaters to extend the reach of its Ethernet-over-copper gear in an echo of the move made three years ago by its rival, Actelis Networks.

The repeaters extend the reach of Hatteras’s bonded copper technology -- which delivers 5.7 megabits per second over each copper pair -- from 6,000 or 7,000 feet to more than 25 miles (or 40 kilometers). Each repeater supports two copper pairs, and a maximum of 8 repeaters gets one to the 25-mile mark.

The addition of a repeater gives Hatteras – the leader of the bonded copper equipment market – an answer to what has long been a competitive differentiator for second-place Actelis.

Sales of Ethernet-over-copper gear – typically deployed for wireless and DSL backhaul and business services -- have fared relatively well in the recession, which Hatteras attributes in part to the fact that tight budgets mean less money for fiber buildouts and a greater desire to make use of existing installed copper lines when possible.

Hatteras -- which saw market share gains and record revenue last year -- is being aided in particular by one of its biggest customers, XO Communications, which wholesales its Ethernet-over-copper network to retailers such as Speakeasy (a unit of Best Buy).

In connection with today’s product announcement, Hatteras named its first customer for the new repeaters: Utah’s South Central Communications.