OFS, Wave7, MS Play With FTTP

NEW ORLEANS -- OFS, designer, manufacturer and supplier of leading edge fiber optic products, with Wave7 Optics, a leading provider of optical access equipment, and Microsoft Corporation, today announced the world's first demonstration of a live online gaming application, simultaneous with voice, video and data services, over a Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. The demonstration is enabled by OFS' Access ADVANTAGE FTTP System and Wave7 Optics' Last Mile Link(TM) (LML) single fiber optical access solution. Show attendees can play an Xbox Live(TM) game and simultaneously access the Internet, talk using the Xbox Live Communicator headset, and view broadcast video to experience the power of optical access networks.

"The tremendous requirements of gaming applications has helped drive ever-faster microprocessors, and their ever-increasing demand for bandwidth will help drive the requirements of access networks. This first live demonstration of truly converged "beyond-broadband" levels of bandwidth showcases the unique potential of our Access ADVANTAGE FTTP System and how it's meeting the vast broadband demands for higher bandwidth, revenue generating services, scalability and reliability," said Paul Neuhart, President, Optical Fiber, Cable and Connectivity Division, OFS.

The configuration consists of Wave7 Optics' LML advanced optical access system supporting converged voice, data, broadcast video, and the Xbox Live service, over the Access ADVANTAGE FTTP system. Wave7 Optics' Last Mile Core (LMC) equipment is connected via OFS' AllWave(R) fiber, low-loss LC connectors, low-loss adapters, and low-loss Blue Tiger(TM) LC jumpers to Wave7 Optics' Last Mile Gateways (LMGs) that each serve a subscriber. It effectively doubles the supported distance between the LMC and LMG. This tremendous increase in reach over other fiber and connectivity solutions demonstrates the obvious benefits of utilizing the low-loss Access ADVANTAGE FTTP system with the Wave7 Optics' LML system.

Xbox Live can take advantage of very high-speed FTTP optical access networks to deliver enhanced gaming experiences for subscribers. With access speeds over 100 times faster than conventional broadband solutions, FTTP can enable lightning fast Xbox Live game experiences.

"We are pleased to partner with OFS and Wave7 Optics on this first live online gaming demonstration over a fiber network, and to support the deployment of FTTP to pave the way for future high-speed, broadband applications," said Mike Lucero, Xbox Live Group Product Manager.

The Access ADVANTAGE system is a complete FTTP cabling and connectivity system that features the AllWave Full Spectrum ADVANTAGE(TM) fiber offering 50% more bandwidth that can be used for premium residential services such as instant on-demand HDTV.

"As advanced services develop and bandwidth requirements increase, the need for cost-effective scaleable optical systems will become imperative," said Emmanuel Vella, Chief Marketing Officer at Wave7 Optics. "Our infrastructure will support everything subscribers want to do now and into the future with solid economics to justify deployment today."

The Wave7 Optics' LML advanced optical access system provides video (CATV and digital, including IP streaming), high-speed data and telephony services (IP-based or circuit-based) to subscribers with dedicated and on-demand symmetrical data rates of up to 500 Mb/sec, all on a single fiber. The LML architecture is standards-based, cost-competitive with current HFC implementations, and includes industry-leading Quality-of-Service (QoS) mechanisms for enhanced features.

OFS

Wave7 Optics Inc.

Microsoft Corp.