ATX’s next-generation optical node has been launched to enable multiple system operators to start capitalising on the capabilities of Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) and digital technologies.
The node’s power dissipation and built-in support for future spectrum expansion empowers operators to address near-term requirements for Remote PHY Device (RPD) or Remote MACPHY Device (RMD) applications, as well as provides a roadmap for future and simultaneous support of additional DAA applications, including Full Duplex DOCSIS (FDX), Remote OLT, wireless backhaul and Internet of Things (IoT).
The unit features environmentally-hardened housing and uses the latest-generation ASIC technology for RPD/RMD functionality, dynamic digital predistortion and ultra-efficient power supplies. It is designed to provide= the capability to deploy RPD/RMD-based 1x2, 2x2, 2x4 and even 4x4 service groups into node-serving areas with the lowest possible power consumption.
Support for 2x4 or 4x4 segmentation allows operators to shrink the size of serving areas by adding more upstream capacity without deploying additional fibres or reconfiguring the current network. Optional embedded support for forward-path RF overlay provides the ability to maintain legacy analogue video infrastructures during the transition to DAA.
The ATX DAA-optimized optical node is also designed to complement the capabilities of the company’s recently introduced GigaWave DWDM optical gateway, a next-generation digital platform designed to provide cable operators with a powerful, futureproof and protocol-agnostic solution that enables them to expand the capacity of fibre access links between headends/hubs and outside plant facilities in ‘pay-as-you-grow’ manner.