Taking more direct aim at the cable sector, Adtran announced this week it has acquired a set of “active” fiber access products from CommScope.
Products tied to the deal include CommScope’s active EPON and 10G-EPON platforms that support DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON, a CableLabs spec that enables MSOs to tie their provisioning systems to new EPON networks.
Adtran is also getting CommScope’s line of Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) products line, including versions equipped to mitigate optical beat interference (OBI) that can impair performance when multiple modems attempt to communicate over the same fiber at the same time.
RFoG, now an SCTE standard, allows MSOs to deliver traditional RF-based video and data services over FTTP architectures while preserving their legacy backoffice systems. MSOs have been using RFoG in targeted situations such as low-density greenfields and rural deployments.
The deal gives Adtran, a top supplier of FTTP and DSL gear, including new 1-Gig-capable G.fast technology, a clearer path into the cable sector as MSOs continue update their networks and evolve toward more programmable architectures.
CommScope said the deal will also tighten its business focus.
“The transition of these active product lines to ADTRAN sharpens both companies’ focus to benefit our customers and the cable industry as a whole,” said Jim Hughes, CommScope’s vice president of North American MSO sales, said in a statement, noting that the company will continue to provide passive PON products to MSOs and other service operators.
“Our goal is to help our customers build and offer competitive broadband solutions, and this acquisition demonstrates our commitment to the MSO customer base,” added Robert Conger, Adtran’s associate vice president, cloud and portfolio strategy.
The deal also comes ahead of the SCTE/ISBE Cable-Tec Expo, set to kick off September 26 in Philadelphia.
