InCoax cracks European telco MDU broadband headache

The company will be highlighting the potential of fiber extension technology at Gigabit Access 2021

Lund, Sweden, 15 April 2021: The global pandemic has fuelled a huge growth in demand and placed additional stress on operators to deliver connectivity for Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs) across Europe, and at this year’s Gigabit Access, InCoax will discuss how reusing existing in-building infrastructure for broadband access can combat the connectivity complexities for residents and businesses.

As operators seek to push fiber deeper into the network, the reuse of in-building infrastructure as a coaxial network can yield enhanced Multigigabit speeds and reduced infrastructure costs. In competition with cable-TV service providers who are offering DOCSIS, operators have already been deploying Gfast over Point-To-Point (P2P) coaxial networks where such networks are available. However, InCoax’s fiber extension technology based on Broadband Forum’s TR-419 and the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) standard can provide MultiGigabit speeds for subscribers and speed up the installation process by utilizing existing infrastructure for tenants and MDU owners.

At Gigabit Access 2021, InCoax’s roundtable entitled ‘FTTep: How can complimentary technologies support gigabit broadband rollouts?’ will be moderated by Broadband Forum Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Business Development Craig Thomas with speakers including Helge Tiainen (InCoax), Simon Fisher (BT) and Mike Talbert (Verizon and MoCA). ‘Architectures for FTTep’, ‘What technologies can be deployed on existing copper infrastructure to extend fiber gigabit services when fiber installation is not viable/economical?’ and ‘In what situations can fiber extension technologies be beneficial?’ will all be topics of discussion.

“With MDU buildings already having existing coaxial networks, operators have a viable alternative to installing expensive and labour-intensive fiber direct to the premises,” said Helge Tiainen, Head of Marketing, Sales and Product Management at InCoax. “Fiber deployments in MDUs can be as much as 40% of Fiber-To-The-Building (FTTB) deployment costs and re-using copper phone lines does not offer operators a consistent Gigabit service as the performance can vary from as low as 100Mbps up to close 1Gbps which has been testified by several operators. Therefore, our fiber extension technology delivers a cost-effective option for operators seeking to provide MultiGigabit data rates with reduced complexity and costs.”

The benefits for the industry of Broadband Forum’s recent publication TR-419 that defines how fiber services can be extended over existing in-building networks such as coaxial networks, will also be highlighted at Gigabit Access 2021. InCoax’s technology ensures that operators do not have to re-cable the premises with fiber and it is interoperable with existing customer provisioning systems saving both implementation and installation costs.

For fixed line operators signing a broadband contract with a Single-Family Unit (SFU) is a much easier process as Multi-Dwelling Units involve building and apartment owners, and numerous tenants. According to housing statistics from Eurostat, the EU average for the population living in MDUs is 70% and the installation of fiber to multiple households is a far from straightforward process. Helge Tiainen examines the benefits of operators’ re-using in-building infrastructure in his latest article here.

Register for Gigabit Access 2021 and listen to InCoax’s roundtable on April 20 at 1.40pm UK time here.

To find out more about InCoax and its product offering, please visit: https://www.incoax.com/.  

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