Grande successo a Lisbona per la 7a FTTH

First ever Innovation Awards presented to more than 2500 participants!
Prime Minister of Portugal shows support in opening speech!

LISBON, 25 February 2010 – The FTTH Council Europe has announced the winners of its inaugural Innovation Awards, which are given to reward the most innovative companies and organisations in the fibre-to-the-home industry in the following categories: deployment and operations; technical and technology; and business and services. Awards were judged by an independent panel of analyst experts in a blind selection process.

The award in the deployment and operation category has been won by Swisscom for its “FTTH robot”, a remotely operated mechanical device that can pass T-junctions and right-angle bends in underground duct systems. Instead of digging a work hole to access the junction, the robot can pull or push the cable to a more convenient location, which can reduce the overall cost of FTTH infrastructure deployment by up to 50 percent.

In the technical category, Alcatel-Lucent was awarded a trophy for its 10G-GPON prototype, a new high-capacity optical access system that brings together Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology with the next-generation of PON equipment. The system includes specific technical features, such as synchronisation, required for the integration of mobile backhaul connections within a fibre-to-the-home network.

The winner in the business and services category is Plateforme THD, an experimental resource operated by the Cap Digital business cluster in the Greater Paris region. Once selected, businesses involved in an experimentation project gain access to the high-speed broadband test-bed, which includes internet hosting, usage evaluation schemes, and a consumer panel of FTTH users, as well as other services that range from technical assistance to public co-funding of the project. 17 innovative high-speed broadband services and content projects were carried out on Plateforme THD in 2009.

Congratulating the winners, Karel Helsen, President of the FTTH Council Europe said: “It is truly exciting to hear about the wide range of exciting and innovative developments happening right here in Europe. I extend my warmest congratulations to the talented people at these organisations.”

The Innovation Award ceremony brings to a close the most successful FTTH Conference to date. The event, which was opened by Eng. José Socrates, the Prime Minister of Portugal, attracted a record of more than 2.500 delegates, nearly 100 top-tier exhibitors from all over the world and included more than 80 high-quality presentations and case studies from renowned industry speakers. With the theme “taking your life to new horizons”, the conference emphasised fibre as an enabler for new services and applications, from e-health to e-government, and ultimately for the success of the economy. The importance of FTTH was underlined by Prime Minister Socrates, who stated that Portugal wished to extend coverage of its next-generation fibre network to 100 % of the country.

The next FTTH Conference will take place on 9-10 February 2011 in Milan, Italy. In addition, the second FTTH Middle East Conference is planned for 30 November-1 December 2010 in Beirut.



About The FTTH Council Europe:
The FTTH Council Europe is an industry organisation with a mission to accelerate the availability of fibre-based, ultra-high-speed access networks to consumers and businesses. The Council promotes this technology because it will deliver a flow of new services that enhance the quality of life, contribute to a better environment and increase economic competitiveness. The FTTH Council Europe consists of more than 130 member companies.
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