ANTONY SAVVAS ACCESS ALTERNATIVES
ALTERNATIVES TO FIBRE ACCESS IN MDUs AND OFFICES WHEN FIBRE DOESN’T FIT:
Finding good connectivity access solutions for multi-dwelling units (MDUs), office spaces, rural areas, and places where fibre access is scarce generally, can be problematic. Therefore, service providers are looking at alternatives to FTTH (fibre to-the-home). Primarily,
MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance), FWA (fixed wireless access), and DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specification) are potential solutions, outlines Antony Savvas . O n the general challenge facing the industry, Broadband Forum CEO, Craig Thomas, says: “Solving the MDU broadband conundrum is critical for addressing the urban ‘digital divide’, as well as the issue of gaining access for cabling to the MDU/ MOCA Multimedia over Coax Alliance is a technology that uses the existing coaxial cables already in most people’s homes. MoCA can create a wired internet home network, but without having to drill new holes or running new wires. And because MoCA technology is wired, it can also deliver without the need for new Ethernet cabling or major civil works. It also supports sustainability, by minimising construction waste and resource use.” infrastructure, “significantly reducing cost, complexity, and installation times”. It can also be combined with FWA technology for backhaul services. “This approach extends ‘fibre-like’ services
MoCA is also seen by some in the industry as an ideal option where building accessibility, historical preservation, or construction limitations restrict fibre rollouts. Nokia is one major proponent of the technology. Nokia is offering InCoax’s Fiber Access Extension tech within its Gigabit Connect and PON offerings. The joint offering targets the global broadband operator market, in particular MSOs and cable operators. “With InCoax’s solution, we can better support cable operators to easily deliver muti-gigabit services over the existing coax in MDUs and buildings that are too difficult to serve with fibre”, says Geert Heyninck, general manager for the broadband access business unit at Nokia. “The integration also makes it easy for operators, since both the FTTH and MoCA can be managed as a single network.” Jeff Heynen, vice president for broadband access and home networking at analyst house Dell’Oro, adds: “As cable operators migrate to FTTH to address the market, they will need to find a way to service existing
MTU [maximum transmission unit] to ensure tenants have competitive broadband service provider (BSP) options. “Urban broadband connectivity choices like FTTB [fibre to-the-building or fibre to-the-basement] and FWA utilise existing ‘in-building’ copper cabling to reduce time to market, bypass access restrictions, and deliver multi-gigabit speeds.” Thomas says FWA standards are being developed to enable connectivity for all apartments using existing cabling, by optimising performance and speeds with mid-band or high-band (mmWave) frequencies without requiring multiple antennas. He adds that FTTeP (fibre to-the-extension-point) standards allow BSPs to extend fibre to buildings, integrating PON with existing copper under a unified management and services platform. “This enables BSPs to rapidly launch new broadband services across MDUs, ensuring a consistent offering regardless of whether subscribers are connected to FTTH or FTTB setups.
a reliable, low-lag, and ultra-high- speed connection. These properties can be critical when it comes to reliable streaming video or online gaming, for instance. With MoCA network adapters or MoCA Wi-Fi extenders, users can usually speed up their home networks to at least 2.5 Gbps, with latency as low as 3.5 ms. InCoax is a leading provider of MoCA systems. Helge Tiainen, business development director at the company, says: “Deploying full-fibre networks to underserved MDUs is challenging, as property owners often expect internet service providers (ISPs) to bear the in- building construction costs. Meanwhile, government funding programmes, particularly in the US, are accelerating fibre build-outs to underserved areas. To compete, Multiple Service Operators (MSOs) - who still hold a significant share of the broadband market - must move swiftly to secure MDU access agreements.” A MoCA Access Fiber Extension solution, he says, enables operators to deliver multi-gigabit broadband over existing coaxial
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| ISSUE 41 | Q2 2025
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