KANSAS CITY -- IP Possibilities 2011 -- Adtran Inc. (Nasdaq: ADTN) is still planning to bring its Ultra Broadband Ethernet (UBE) product to market later this year, but is also hoping the industry can adopt a standard that incorporates its proprietary architecture for delivering symmetric 100 Mbit/s to the home. (See BBWF 2010: Adtran Rethinks FTTX Economics.)

Kevin Morgan, Adtran's director of marketing for carrier networks, says there is now a proposal for the ITU to create a working group to consider ways to use Ethernet in the drop to the home, as Adtran's product does. Three Tier One service providers -- one in the U.S., one in Europe and one in the Middle East -- are conducting field trials of the Adtran product.

"The architecture is out there," Morgan says. "Now we need to get some service provider comment and standards development activity."

UBE is unusual in a few ways: Besides using a version of 100BaseT over the final 500 feet of twisted pair wiring into the home, a media adapter in the home actually pulls power from the consumer's commercial electrical service to power the pedestal, at a modest cost to the customer.

Since most phone networks are set up to provide two lines into each home, it would still be possible to offer a line-power lifeline voice service, in addition to IP-based data and video, Morgan says.

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading