Siemens and Infineon jointly present a unique solution for the fast and reliable transmission of broadband services such as IPTV and HD-TV with LAN-compatible devices in private households. This cutting edge product is based on Polymer Optical Fibers (POF), which are especially easy to lay and install. Similar to glass fibers, data is transmitted via light waves that reach a constant bandwidth of 100 Mbps. The use of optical-electrical LAN adapters results in a Plug&Play solution that can connect to any LAN compatible device found in the home. T-Com, the Fixed Network business unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, now offers this solution to its IPTV customers in a package that includes two optical LAN adapters, LAN wires as well as a polymer optical cable.

T-Com customers can now enjoy new services such as IPTV, HD-TV or Video on Demand anywhere in the home. All users need to be able to use the solution is an appropriate connection from their Internet gateway to a PC or set-top-box. Together with Infineon and T-Com, Siemens has created a package that consists of two optical-electrical LAN adapters, LAN wires and thirty meters of polymer cable, allowing users to be able to build a home network quickly and easily. Both fibers in the polymer cable are only 1.5mm thick and so the cable can be easily hidden. Further devices in the home can also be connected without the need for configuration.

This new solution offers a high level of service that's similar to Ethernet wiring and is therefore well suited for streaming high bandwidth applications. Since POF is immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) the data stream remains constant – furthermore, the transmission is also tap-proof due to the fact that it is a point-to-point connection.

"Using a networking solution based on optical polymer cable will help providers offering broadband services such as IPTV and HD-TV to generate extra revenue because the solution is convenient and easy to use and we expect a large number of T-Com customers to adopt it," said Marco Bambach, Vice President, Product Management Broadband Devices, Siemens Home and Office Communications Devices.

"We are very excited to be working with Siemens to offer a POF solution to the mass market, and T-COM's decision to partner with us to provide the solution to its customers further cements the company's position as a true innovator in this space," said Dominik Bilo, Vice President, Sales and Group Marketing at Infineon's Communication Solutions business group.

This offering is now available in Europe under the name 'Gigaset Optical LAN Adapter Duo'. In Germany, T-Com has already started to sell the product online under the name 'Speedport OptoLAN Pack'.