OptiComm has reported that it is in the “final stages” of developing Australia’s first 10 gigabit per second passive optical network (XGS-PON), the “next-generation” PON allowing residential customers to access a nominal line speed of up to 1Gbps, and commercial customers to reach speeds up to 10Gbps.
ADTRAN supplied the project and also hosted development work at its Melbourne R&D facility. Deployment will begin in Melbourne before the end of the year, focused on a residential and commercial precinct.
OptiComm will begin its user trials by installing XGS-PON line-cards in existing ADTRAN PON systems in the coming months.
Anthony Camilleri, ADTRAN’s Asia-Pacific CTO, said: “OptiComm is creating a network with limitless potential and scale, leveraging the flexibility of XGS-PON and the power of 10Gbps speeds to open the door to new possibilities for its residential and business customers.
“We’re pleased to have been able to partner with OptiComm to help them build their best network, as the company looks to meet and exceed the demands of the globally connected Gigabit Economy,” he added.
The ADTRAN XGS-PON connects users to OptiComm’s network using the traditional PON optical network design, but it eliminates the speed restrictions imposed by first generation GPON technologies, allowing user speeds to leap to levels the company said were “previously unheard of in Australia”.
OptiComm, is the largest private competitor to the government-run NBN and provides fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections. However it isn’t dependent on copper wires, eliminating the speed limits that occur on the NBN network.
