ADVA Optical Networking’s solutions provide foundation for triple-play explosion at Italy’s FASTWEB

Innovative alternative service provider selects ADVA to help deliver data, voice and Europe’s first video-on-demand service

June 19, 2006. Rome, Italy; Mahwah, New Jersey, USA; and Martinsried/Munich, Germany. ADVA Optical Networking today announced that FASTWEB S.p.A. has deployed the Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 2000 and FSP 3000 from ADVA to help build one of the world’s most innovative networks. FASTWEB offers a range of industry-leading services – including “triple play” solutions that interweave telephony, Internet access and an advanced video portfolio – over a fiber-optic, all-Internet Protocol (IP) network that now reaches more than 794,000 business and residential customers across Italy.

Partnering with Siemens, ADVA began working with FASTWEB in 2000, deploying a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) metropolitan ring in Milan to support dedicated Gigabit Ethernet video connectivity across FASTWEB’s network. FASTWEB expanded its network with the deployment of ADVA’s FSP 2000 and FSP 3000 to support dedicated connections to its customers and backhaul traffic in its regional transport network, along fiber links of up to 145 kilometers. ADVA’s solutions allow FASTWEB to support multiple interfaces including Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) and Ethernet/ IP at data rates from 10Mbit/s to 10Gbit/s.

The FASTWEB network extends Internet access to residential users at significantly faster speeds than traditional telephone lines. It combines high-quality video and audio with text and traditional images while keeping telephone lines free for voice calls. Importantly, FASTWEB is the first European operator to provide a TV-on-demand service so that families can watch programs when they wish, without having to follow the broadcasting schedules of traditional channels. Using a special device with keyboard and infrared remote control (Home Access Gateway), the viewer accesses the network directly from the television set, choosing from a constantly-expanding library of films, TV news, sports, cartoons, music videos and more.

“It is critical for competitive carriers to offer differentiated services that create a compelling service offering for the end user,” stated Mario Mella, customer operations & technology planning director for FASTWEB. “ADVA and Siemens offer us innovative, high-quality systems upon which we are building a flexible, scalable network that has allowed us to add new channels and features without affecting existing traffic or changing equipment. We looked at many providers, but none could match the strong service offering, rich feature set and ease of use that ADVA and Siemens offer.”

The FASTWEB network is a fully independent alternative to incumbent operators’ infrastructures. FASTWEB’s offerings for residential customers include Europe’s first video-on-demand services. Its offerings for business customers include IP Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and high-speed, secure “Business to Employee (B2E)” links that enable employees to access their companies’ local area networks (LANs) from home.

Added Brian P. McCann, ADVA’s chief marketing and strategy officer, “Our FSP 2000 and FSP 3000 systems allow FASTWEB to serve multiple customers and backhaul their high-speed services cost-effectively, across the same fiber infrastructure. FASTWEB has complete, real-time control of its network and customer services through a single interface. We look forward to continuing to work with Siemens in helping FASTWEB grow its flexible, high-capacity metropolitan and long-distance networks.”

ADVA’s Fiber Service Platform is a portfolio of Optical+Ethernet networking products designed specifically for the delivery of high-speed services and network infrastructure rollout. Their modular design and flexible architecture options enable the most comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for customer premises, access, metro core and regional deployment.

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Christine Keck

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ADVA Optical Networking

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