Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) on Feb. 7 announced what the company termed "a major achievement with interoperability for the CableLabs Flexible MAC Architecture (FMA) specification." Harmonic's software-based MAC Anywhere FMA offering for its CableOS cloud-native core platform was tested in a multi-vendor lab environment at the recent CableLabs FMA Interoperability event.
In the trial, Harmonic's next-gen Remote MACPHY devices were shown to demonstrate remarkable progress at offering interoperability with third-party MAC Manager software, bringing operators unprecedented flexibility in deploying multi-gigabit broadband services. Harmonic contends its "breakthrough MAC Anywhere approach to FMA is based on its CableOS multi-access platform serving Remote PHY, Remote MACPHY and FTTx devices." Leveraging Harmonic's software-based FMA offering, operators can simplify network operations, use the hardware of their choice and sustainably power 10G and symmetrical multi-gigabit services, according to the company.
"Demand for ultra-fast broadband is growing, and Flexible MAC Architecture will play an important role in simplifying network operations," said Nimrod Ben-Natan, senior vice president and general manager, cable access business at Harmonic. "We're proud to participate in the industry's first FMA Interoperability event with CableLabs to create a flexible path toward sustainable next-gen networks. Our next step is to continue bringing to the market the best FMA-compliant offerings as part of Harmonic's software-based MAC Anywhere solution."
Harmonic notes its CableOS platform powers 4.8 million cable modems for a growing number of innovative cable and fiber operators worldwide, including the largest operators in North America and Europe, and leading service providers in Latin America and Asia.
"Equipment interoperability is critical to the successful deployment of FMA," said Jon Schnoor, lead architect of wired technologies at CableLabs. "Harmonic's participation in the FMA Interoperability event signifies the company's commitment to helping the industry rapidly roll out Flexible MAC Architecture and a move toward simplifying ecosystem integration. With technology partners working together, we can make 10G a reality in the near future."
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