Harmonic Introduces SUPRALink™ 1550 nm DWDM Transmission System

– Ground-Breaking Solution Supports Growing Demand for HD and DOCSIS 3.0 Services; Delivers Cost-Effective DWDM Segmentation Technology for Installed HFC Networks –

Sunnyvale, Calif. - Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today introduced the SUPRALink™ 1550 nm DWDM transmission system, a highly innovative solution that enables cable service providers to re-use their existing optical fiber network to more cost-effectively deliver increased bandwidth to subscribers. Incorporating patent-pending technology, the new SUPRALink solution delivers up to a four-fold increase in fiber reach over 1310 nm systems, and strikes an optimal performance-to-cost balance. SUPRALink is the industry’s first system to support up to eight wavelengths per single fiber over link distances of 40 km with optical amplification and 25 km without optical amplification, for up to 1 GHz of both digital and analog content per wavelength.

SUPRALink enables operators to minimize their capital expenditures when segmenting their networks and overcomes limitations in fiber reach and wavelength scalability of alternative downstream CWDM and 1310 nm DWDM solutions. By addressing these challenges, Harmonic’s new SUPRALink technology enables cost-effective DWDM segmentation for the majority of installed HFC networks, and as a result significantly extends the capacity and longevity of existing HFC infrastructures.

“The ability to utilize 1550 nm DWDM technology to extend fiber reach, and thereby better leverage the already installed HFC plant, could offer cable operators a cost-effective solution that addresses DWDM segmentation in existing network architectures,” said Alan Breznick, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading.

“Harmonic’s SUPRALink system will allow service providers to deploy optical nodes deeper in the network while minimizing the cost of constructing new fiber routes,” said Nimrod Ben-Natan, Vice President of Product Marketing, Solutions and Strategy for Harmonic Inc. “SUPRALink’s scalability simplifies network expansion while minimizing an operator’s initial investment. The solution provides superior fiber reach, enabling service providers to design and maintain a transmission network in a single wavelength band, resulting in significant operational advantages. In addition, SUPRALink is cost-competitive with existing 1310 nm WDM systems.”

An eight-wavelength SUPRALink system delivers an increase in reach of 2.5 to 4 times when compared to eight-wavelength 1310 nm WDM systems. Operating in the 1550 nm band, SUPRALink is also more immune to impairment mechanisms of 1310 nm WDM systems and as a result is more robust. The system can be scaled in one-wavelength increments, providing a simple, seamless, “pay-as-you grow” expansion path. The SUPRALink family of products includes optical transmitters, multiplexers, de-multiplexers, and amplifiers.

“Harmonic has been driving technology innovation in HFC networks for two decades,” continued Ben-Natan. “SUPRALink reflects our continued commitment to technology leadership and provides our customers with an extremely powerful and cost-effective DWDM segmentation solution to extend the longevity of their networks while significantly increasing network capacity and as a result bandwidth delivered to individual subscribers.”