Ikanos First to Demonstrate Gigabit Broadband Performance Over Existing Copper Networks in Japan and Korea

FREMONT, CA--(Marketwired - May 20, 2015) - Ikanos Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: IKAN), a leading provider of advanced broadband semiconductor and software products for the connected home, today announced that it has successfully demonstrated in OEM lab trials data rates in excess of 1 Gbps at a distance of 100m over existing hybrid fiber-copper networks in Japan and Korea. As the first company to achieve true gigabit performance over a short-loop copper network, Ikanos becomes the sole access-network technology provider to date that can enable carriers in both regions to provide millions of VDSL subscribers a 10 times or greater increase in data rates, over the same VDSL lines that can only deliver up to 100 Mbps service today.

In addition, these demonstrations were conducted in the presence of currently deployed VDSL services, without any impact on the existing VDSL data rates. The VDSL fallback feature will also ensure backwards compatibility with the deployed CPEs, enabling a seamless upgrade for the entire subscriber base. Achieving gigabit performance over copper networks without adversely impacting the deployed VDSL service is an important carrier requirement in Japan and Korea. Other competing technologies cannot co-exist with deployed VDSL service in the same binder without suffering heavy performance loss, expected to degrade to a few hundred Mbps data rates in a real deployment. Ikanos' solution, on the other hand, is optimally designed to co-exist with the VDSL 30a profile that is widely deployed in Japan and Korea today, and, as such, is the most suitable and deployable gigabit technology for both regions. 

Ikanos' latest advancement in gigabit broadband marks a significant milestone for the company in Japan and Korea. Ikanos pioneered 100 Mbps service over copper using its state-of-the-art VDSL 30a profile, which allowed the company to capture effectively 100% market share in both regions, with a combined VDSL subscriber base of over 6 million. Today's announcement once again confirms the company's gigabit technology leadership and continued commitment to the region's broadband initiatives, positioning Ikanos to continue its dominance in both countries. Ikanos' gigabit technology is a variant of the recently ratified G.fast standard, optimized for the unique requirements of the carrier networks in the two regions. Due to its incumbency, Ikanos is very familiar with these carrier requirements, which uniquely positions the company to meet the carrier performance targets without impacting existing VDSL broadband services.