Sumitomo Electric Offers FTTH Total Solution to STV

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has won a contract as a blanket order for optical transmission systems and their installation work from Sukoh CATV, Inc. (STV; Head Office: Suzaka, Nagano; President: Yasuteru Maruyama).

In recent years, broadcasting services have been advancing toward regular 4K and 8K broadcasting (advanced BS broadcasting) and data broadcasting. Against this backdrop, STV has decided to update their facilities to offer fiber-optic-based fiber to the home (FTTH) services as network infrastructure compatible with advanced BS broadcasting, scheduled to launch in December 2018. This is a change from the existing hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) system, which has been in operation since the opening of STV in 1989.

Sumitomo Electric has provided technical assistance since the conceptual stage of the FTTH solution and will also provide design and installation of transmission routes for efficient placement of optical transmission equipment. The design supports advanced broadcasting services that are expected to further evolve in the future.

Advanced BS broadcasting uses two transmission systems:
Transmodulation, which provides services on a 770 MHz or lower HFC line;
and Pass-through, which transmits 1 GHz or higher satellite signals as they are. Sumitomo Electric offers both solutions.

While conventional BS broadcasting has been using right-handed polarization, it will become possible to use the left-handed one at the end of 2018. The optical transmitter adopted in the current project to transmit broadcasting signals supports 2.68 GHz, compatible with both right- and left-handed polarization. This will enable all served households to receive both ultrafast IP and wide-band radio frequency signals simultaneously.

Furthermore, Sumitomo Electric's 10G-EPON is available in large and small chassis, which can be selected and installed according to the volume of service subscribers. In the current project, the large chassis FSU7101 will be installed in STV' main center, which covers the Suzaka and Obuse areas, while the small chassis FSU7102 will be installed in the Takayama Sub-center. This arrangement will make efficient use of installation spaces and power supply capacities.

This project will enable a remarkable increase in the maximum transmission rate of internet service from current 160 Mbps to 10 Gbps. This implies that the new system is fully compatible with completely IP-based broadcasting, shifting to which is under consideration, and 4K and 8K broadcasting, as well as ultrafast internet services.

Nagano is an advanced cable television-oriented prefecture, and home to many CATV service providers. Among them, STV is Sumitomo Electric's first client in Nagano Prefecture to adopt the leading-edge 10G-EPON system.　Takayama Village, included in the project area, was selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to be part of the Fiber-Optic Solution Promotion Project for Cable Television Networks. Moreover, it has been decided to grant a fiber-optic solution aid subsidy to the village. This is one case of only 10 such bodies nationwide and one of two in Nagano Prefecture.

The installation will commence in October 2017. STV will provide the service step by step beginning in April 2018. By enriching our product lineup used in advanced BS broadcasting, Sumitomo Electric intends to positively address the challenge of helping the evolution of cable television services.

* Regional BWA (Broadband Wireless Access): Wireless system designed for commercial telecommunications that uses radio waves in the 2.5 GHz frequency band with the aim of contributing to enhanced regional public welfare services, such as bridging the digital divide