FSAN Publishes Framework for the XG-PON (10 Gigabit-Capable PON) Specification

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA--(Marketwire - September 21, 2009) - The Full Service Access Network (FSAN) group announced during its quarterly meeting hosted by Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) and Telekom Malaysia, that the NG-PON1 White Paper, which is the framework for the XG-PON (10 Gigabit-capable PON) specification, has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication by the IEEE Communications Magazine in the November 2009 issue. The base-level of its specifications are expected to be finalized in ITU-T in October 2009.

The XG-PON specifications are viewed by FSAN members as the definitive reference for designing optical access networks to meet the growing bandwidth and service requirement by end users. The XG-PON specification provides a cost-effective solution for the co-existence with mainstream FTTx access technologies and backward compatibility to existing fiber deployments.

The NG-PON1 White Paper is the result of a several year process of study and deliberation by the FSAN community on the nature of the next generation of PON systems. The approach taken was to consider several possible technologies and solutions considered to be most cost-effective, and select those with the best fit for both established and emerging service demands. The White Paper chronicles this decision-making process, and details both the service requirements and the selected system specifications. Completed in May 2009, the White Paper serves as the design framework for the standardization of the XG-PON systems. It will be published as a series of three articles in the IEEE Communications Magazine November 2009 issue.

The scope of the XG-PON specification, expected to be finalized in September 2009, includes the terminology framework, system requirements, and physical layer aspects, and will bring the FSAN standard to an equivalent level of completion vs. the 'to-be-announced' 10G EPON standard by IEEE. In addition, the XG-PON specifications also take operators' requirements of management and maintenance into consideration. The transmission convergence and management parts of XG-PON specifications are expected to be finished in mid-2010.

"The new family of XG-PON systems will meet the continuously growing demand of bandwidth per customer, driven by the constant evolution of services and applications," said Mr. Paolo Solina, chair of the FSAN Optical Access Network Working Group. "The specification process of the XG-PON system is consistent with the usual FSAN guidelines, i.e. the development of a cost-effective solution with particular attention to the operators' needs and the efficiency of the transmission protocol with high Quality of Service."

About FSAN

The Full Service Access Network (FSAN) Group is an interest group for the world's leading telecommunications services providers, independent test labs, and equipment suppliers to work towards a common goal of truly broadband fiber access networks. The Mission of FSAN is to drive applicable standards, where they already exist, into the services and products in the industry, while simultaneously advancing its own specifications into the appropriate standard bodies to provide further definition to the Full Service Access Network. FSAN has more than 80 members representing the leading implementers of Gigabit rate G-PON and B-PON Passive Optical Networking. For more information, visit www.fsanweb.org.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Paolo Solina Chair FSAN Optical Access Network Working Group Tel: +39 011 2285298 Email: paolo.solina@telecomitalia.it