Fujitsu unveils UK FTTH network plans

Fujitsu this week surprised the industry with the announcement that it plans to build an open access network based principally on fiber to the home (FTTH) technology in the UK.

The company will partner with Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) on the network technology, while UK alternative service providers Virgin Media and TalkTalk have agreed to use the FTTH network, which Fujitsu says will reach as many as 5 million homes in rural parts of the UK.When completed, the superfast FTTH network will support symmetrical 1-Gbps services to each customer. While Fujitsu has not provided details of the technology that will underpin the FTTH network, Cisco’s involvement strongly implies the use of an Ethernet point-to-point architecture. Cisco has provided equipment for similar open access networks across Europe.The plan puts Fujitsu squarely in competition with BT Openreach, which itself has announced a superfast broadband initiative that will combine FTTH with fiber to the cabinet (FTTC; see "BT to trial gigabit FTTP broadband"). It should also be noted that Fujitsu said it would use FTTH “in the vast majority of areas,” which implies it will reserve the option to use FTTC as well. In a twist likely to gall BT, Fujitsu plans to leverage BT’s ducts and poles, which UK regulatory agency Ofcom recently ruled must be made available for competitive carriers (see "Ofcom: BT must share fiber, duct, and poles").

June 21, 2011

Continue