Finisar intros EPON Stick in an SFP for DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON/OE Solutions plastic optical fiber transceiver targets home networking

Finisar Corp. (NASDAQ: FNSR), leveraging its acquisition of Broadway Networks, has announced the availability of an EPON (Ethernet Passive Optical Network) Stick. Finisar describes the EPON Stick as the first Small Form-factor Pluggable Optical Networking Unit (SFP ONU) that interoperates with other EPON equipment based on CableLabs’ DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoE) specifications.

Finisar says it participated in the development of the DPoE 1.0 specifications and the recent interoperability testing at CableLabs. (For more on DPoE, see this article in the January/February 2011 issue of Lightwave.)

The DPoE effort aims to enable cable operators to supply business services via EPON technology. Using their existing provisioning systems and processes built around DOCSIS, operators can deliver both IP and Ethernet based services with DPoE products like the EPON Stick.

“We are proud that Finisar’s EPON Stick is the first in an MSA SFP footprint compatible with EPON and DPoE,” said Dr. Jianhui Zhou, vice-president and general manager of Access Products at Finisar. “It offers operators the advantages of automated provisioning with DPoE, while still allowing the flexibility of using a wide variety of Ethernet network interface devices, integrated access devices, switches, and routers.

Finisar’s EPON Stick comprises pluggable transceiver optics and an EPON MAC with DPoE provisioning within the SFP package. Operators can insert the EPON Stick into any SFP host and operate a single demarcation device at the customer premises. Finisar believes the reduced complexity, reduced power consumption, and increased reliability of a single box approach will prove attractive to both the operator and their customers or subscribers.

In addition, operators that either do not yet have DOCSIS provisioning or have not yet used it for business services can use the EPON Stick with any EPON system to achieve DPoE interoperability.

In addition to EPON and DPoE compatibility, the EPON Stick supports SFF-8472 digital diagnostics and other extended capabilities.

OE Solutions Co., Ltd. has introduced 1.25-Gbps and 2.5-Gbps bi-directional SFPs for graded-index perfluorinated plastic optical fiber (POF) applications of more than 200 m. The SFP transceivers operate at 850 nm and 980 nm over a temperature range of -20 to 70 degrees C.

According to DaeJin Kim, director of product development at OE Solutions, “Until now, the simplicity advantage of using plastic optical fiber was somewhat offset by high attenuation, limited bandwidth, and restriction to visible wavelengths. Now system designers can use our POF bi-directional transceiver with more flexibility and with less constraint of bandwidth, transmission distance, and temperature range. Additionally, in MDU [multiple dwelling unit] applications, using a POF BiDi SFP can be more cost-effective and higher bandwidth than using CAT5 copper cable.”

OE Solutions says its POF bi-directional SFP also will be available for higher bandwidth 6-Gbps and 10-Gbps applications. The company adds that it can offer different platform technologies for different applications such as Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, DVI, USB, and other multi-gigabit applications at short distances without dispersion compensation.

OE Solutions will exhibit in booth #1846 at the OFC/NFOEC 2011, March 6-10, 2011, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.