PARIS and STUTTGART — Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that they have been selected by Regensburger Telekommunikationsgesellschaft GmbH&Co.KG (R-KOM) to be its sole supplier, in a multi-year frame agreement, for the deployment of a fiber-based access network in eastern Bavaria. R-KOM will utilize Alcatel-Lucent’s award-winning GPON technology, and has opted for a mixed FTTB (fiber to the building) and FTTH (fiber to the home) architecture – depending on the rollout area.
Infrastructure development is set to start in the next few weeks, with the first 4,000 households expected to be connected by the end of 2009. R-KOM will also leverage Alcatel-Lucent’s global network integration experience, as R-KOM will rely upon Alcatel-Lucent for key services such as project management, system integration, installation and maintenance of the overall network.
Using the name 'Glasfaser Ostbayern' (Fiber in eastern Bavaria), R-KOM will connect business and private customers to the optical access network. Besides R-KOM, komro, the city-carrier from Rosenheim, DCC from Dachau and SWU TelNet from Ulm will also be connecting to the system. In addition to high-speed Internet and telephony, R-KOM will offer cable television via an RF video overlay on the same fiber-based infrastructure. Additionally, R-KOM is planning to allow multiple service providers access to the new network, thereby making it possible for its customers to choose between various telephone and Internet service providers across the common infrastructure (open network model).
"We are expecting long-term success with 'Glasfaser Ostbayern', as we continually invest in upgrading our telecommunications infrastructure. Alcatel-Lucent offered the most economical solution with respect to the acquisition and operation of our new 'Glasfaser Ostbayern'", emphasized Alfred Rauscher, CEO at R-KOM Regensburger Telekommunikationsgesellschaft GmbH&Co.KG.
"It is precisely the joint development of solutions for the automated provisioning of services, or for a uniform, open network interface, with the collaboration already in place, which will leverage GPON into a success", says Alois Zacher, CEO at komro.
The planned upgrades will provide for approximately 40,000 households in Regensburg and the surrounding area to eventually have fiber-based access connections. In addition, R-KOM intends to build fiber-based access networks in more cities throughout eastern Bavaria.
"The combination of optical fiber networks and open business models provides cities and communities with a sound business case for long-term investment," explains Alf Henryk Wulf, Chairman of the Management Board of Alcatel-Lucent in Germany. "High-speed, fiber-to-the-home networks are especially attractive for local municipalities, and our extensive network integration capabilities were key factors in gaining R-KOM’s trust in our ability to meet their needs and those of their end-users."
In the case of FTTB deployments, the existing in-building wiring (copper pairs and coaxial cables) can be leveraged – enabling a quick upgrade at reduced cost. In the case of an FTTH upgrade, the fiber terminates in the home and makes bandwidths in the gigabyte range available. Thus the fiber-based access technology utilised today provides the basis for high-quality voice services, ultraband data services as well as cable television with HDTV quality, and is equipped for tomorrow’s video services.
Source: Alcatel-Lucent.