Amedia Networks announced the development of a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) gateway with built-in home networking capabilities and a personal media library. The HG-G1000 is being designed to provide the integrated functionality of an in-home Broadband Home Router (BHR), an outdoor Optical Network Terminal (ONT), and integrated battery backup. Simply put, telecommunications companies can offer the HG-G1000 as a single, “in-home” gateway appliance for subscribers – with no required outdoor-hardened optical or electrical components. This significantly reduces installation costs, relative to the multiple equipment unit (ONT plus BHR plus battery backup) solution, by eliminating outdoor installation and media required to interconnect multiple products, while also providing means to utilize existing home television and telephone wiring within the connected home.

According to a recent report by Infonetics Research, the worldwide PON Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) subscribers doubled from 2004 to 2005, and is projected to grow from 4.1 million in 2005 to 38 million in 2009. In aggregate, the firm predicts the Bells could spend $3 billion to $5 billion on GPON gear alone for U.S. deployments through 2010.

"Service Providers are deploying fiber to the home in order to meet the ever increasing demands for next generation services, including IPTV, high definition television programming, video on demand, interactive gaming and VOIP. Adding to customer expectations is the increasing use of the Internet for video and music downloads. GPON will give service providers the flexibility to meet these demands," said Amedia President, CEO, and Director Frank Galuppo. "Our GPON gateway is being designed to make this transition as smooth as possible from the perspectives of both carriers and subscribers."

The HG-G1000 offers carriers a versatile, cost-effective endpoint while also providing MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance), Ethernet, and wireless capabilities.

"The intelligence and versatility we have built into the HG-G1000 provides carriers with more revenue-generating service delivery options, and in-depth control over them," added Mr. Galuppo

The HG-G1000 is coupled with Amedia's new Broadband Entertainment Center, which significantly enhances the capability of the HG-G1000 beyond a traditional gateway to a true multimedia control point within the home. It will have a built-in software API to support the development and delivery of proprietary or third-party software programs as well as networked applications to subscribers, such as web surfing, in-home messaging, remote home monitoring and control, a virtual family calendar, and other innovations. Utilizing a web browser interface from any television or monitor, users can browse the Internet as well as download, organize, store, or playback multimedia such as videos, digital pictures, music, voice messages, and much more. Additionally, the GPON BHR has four wired LAN interfaces with 10/100/1000 BASE T auto-negotiating, which supports GbE for client devices capable of communicating at that rate.

GPON provides bandwidth almost 4 times that of the current BPON deployments, increasing bandwidth to 2.4 gigabits per second (gbps) downstream and 1.2 gbps upstream. This increase in speed over existing BPONs (Broadband Passive Optical Networks), which support 622mbps of downstream bandwidth and 155mbps upstream, will give telecom carriers the capacity to deliver IPTV and other HD television programming, as well as other new revenue-generating triple-play services to the home.

Amedia plans to begin Beta testing of the new HG-G1000 with carrier customers by mid-2007.