Successor to DSL???
NEW SPATIAL DIVISION MULTIPLEXING TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS FIBER-SPEED, RANGE AND RELIABILITY OVER COPPER PAIRS
Actelis Networks' Patent-Pending Technology Will Enable Carriers to Deliver DS3 Services on a Universal Scale
FREMONT, Calif., May 29, 2001 -Actelis Networks, the first company to boost copper performance to fiber-quality speed and reliability, today announced that its new patent-pending technology, Spatial Division MultiplexingTM (SDM), has successfully completed its first carrier trial. SDM is the first technology to transform ordinary copper lines into a DS3 (45 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth) transport solution with bit error rates identical to fiber optics. SDM makes ultra high-speed business access available to virtually any copper-fed multi-tenant unit. Additionally, by transforming copper pairs into a powerful DS3 backhaul solution, SDM brings broadband service to the last mile, even in rural areas.
"In today's market economy, carriers are continuously challenged to generate more revenue from their existing network assets," said Yuval Baron, president and CEO of Actelis Networks. "The beauty of SDM is that it transforms a carrier's most widely available resource-its installed base of copper plant-into high-speed, next-generation transport, and provides error-free performance without special line pre-qualifications."
"The Actelis solution is a natural fit for the telecom marketplace, since so many carriers cannot get last-mile fiber today, and those that can incur steep capital expense penalties during buildout," said Scott Clavenna, president, PointEast Research, located in Cambridge, Mass. "These situations reduce carrier revenue potential, forcing them to limit service to low-bandwidth, low-margin alternatives-or worse-to forgo service altogether to certain subscribers. By allowing carriers to capitalize on their existing copper assets for high-value service delivery, the Actelis solution proves the business case for pervasive broadband deployment."
Carrier-Tested, Robust Technology
Actelis successfully concluded the first SDM technology trial with North Pittsburgh Telephone Company in May of this year. The SDM trial benchmarked key performance metrics including interoperability, system redundancy, error-free transmission, and signal range in a standard outside aerial cable plant environment. The SDM-powered platform delivered continuous error-free data transport at DS3 rates and demonstrated the capacity to extend well beyond 45 Mbps.
"The ability to offer fast deployment of fiber performance transport services introduces a phenomenal opportunity," stated Al Weigand, vice president of North Pittsburgh Telephone Company. "The Actelis solution performed at fiber quality thresholds. The Actelis product will fill an important role in our network architecture," said Weigand.
"SDM performed exactly to plan," said Tuvia Barlev, chief technical officer for Actelis Networks. "Deployment was immediate and testing resulted in consistent error-free performance over the entire four-week trial period. The SDM performance standard is unprecedented."
The SDM high-speed access technology will allow carriers to transform their existing copper loop plant into a fiber-scale service platform. With close to a billion phone lines worldwide, the copper loop plant is a ubiquitous asset that represents a multibillion-dollar carrier infrastructure. However, cross-talk interference, high error rates, and distance barriers have historically limited the potential of copper for delivering ultra high-speed services. The successful completion of the first SDM trial signifies a new opportunity for carriers. By boosting the speed, range, and reliability of copper pairs, carriers can offer affordable, same day provisioning of DS3 services to virtually any copper-fed remote terminal cabinet or multi-tenant unit. Since no reconstruction of the cable plant is required, revenue generation is immediate. Carriers can minimize risk by delaying investment until demand for service-and consequently revenue-is guaranteed.
The SDM-powered platform is the culmination of a two-year research and development effort yielding more than a dozen pending U.S. patents. Actelis recently announced the first closing of its series C funding round, garnering $26 million from Carlyle Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, U.S. Venture Partners, Walden International, Global Catalyst Partners, and Vertex Management. |