SMC and NYCE Networks in strategic home networking products partnership

IRVINE, USA: SMC, a specialist in providing high-quality, reliable Customer Premise Equipment to Broadband Service Providers, NYCE Networks, a leading provider of innovative Plastic Optical Fiber to Ethernet products, and Firecomms, a leading supplier of high speed optical components, today announced an industry-changing partnership that will result in accelerated innovation and manufacturing efficiencies within the Plastic Optical Fiber products market.

SMC, in partnership with NYCE Networks, has launched its first Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) product, the SMCEPM-2. Using Firecomms' leading technologies, SMCEPM-2 is a leading Fiber-to-Ethernet Media Converter Switch that allows broadband service providers to quickly and easily create Ethernet networks for their residential and business class customers.

Through the partnership, SMC will manufacture, support and market the SMCEPM-2 to Broadband Service Providers worldwide, NYCE will research, develop and supply new POF products for SMC, and Firecomms will supply OptoLock plugless Fiber Optic Transceivers.

"Many of our valued Broadband Service Provider customers serve residential and business class customers that need a Fiber to Ethernet product to create a high speed network but their customers' premises have outdated wiring and cabling. The SMCEPM-2 is the fastest, easiest, and most inexpensive product to deploy to customer premises with old wiring," says Todd Babic, Vice President of Sales, Broadband Business Development for SMC.

"Our partnership with NYCE allows us to bring a highly valuable POF product to market quickly to meet our customers' needs. SMC continues to respond to the needs of our customers with versatile and innovative products like the SMCEPM-2."

More and more residential and business class customers are being connected directly to last-mile Fiber Optic networks in North America. This has created a great opportunity for Broadband Service Providers to deliver much faster Internet services and acquire new customers.

Broadband Service Providers need reliable CPE products that will convert the Fiber connection into an Ethernet network within the customer premises. The SMCEPM-2 is an ideal solution as it plugs into existing electrical outlets and uses Plastic Optical Fiber to create a high bandwidth network.

Plastic Optical Fiber is only millimeters thick, highly durable and flexible, easy to cut, and is much easier to install and conceal than traditional CAT-5 cabling. POF is also highly immune to cable electrical noise and provides a higher Quality of Service (QoS) than traditional CAT-5 electrical cable networks.

This means that POF experiences minimal network congestion that is common from bandwidth-intensive applications like VOIP, IPTV, and online gaming. Many Broadband Service Providers service customer premises that have old communications cabling and face expensive upgrades to deploy traditional home networking products. The SMCEPM-2 allows Broadband Service Providers to service premises with old cabling without having to make an investment in upgrading the premise's existing wiring.

The SMCEPM-2 is now available for Broadband Service Providers to test and deploy in field.