Cable adopts EPON as fibre standard

MARKING A STUNNING break with the past, North American cable operators are now embracing telco-like PON (passive optical network) technology to deliver multimedia services over fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. In a key move signaling this change, CableLabs recently announced that it would shortly issue a new set of standards for leveraging Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) technology on fibre lines. The planned new specs are designed to provide a common way of using DOCSIS provisioning and back-office systems for supporting EPON-based fiber networks. Known as DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoE), the specs are intended primarily for commercial-class IP and Ethernet services.However,...