What struck me most was the way the conversation wasn’t about replacing fixed wireless with fiber, but rather creating a powerful hybrid approach. Fiber, with its xPON technology, offers undeniable advantages in bandwidth, cost, and future-proofing. Having said that, fixed wireless that played a vital role in getting internet access to these regions in the first place will continue to be used also in the future. The BEAD program recognizes this. It’s about empowering stakeholders with a broader toolkit. This hybrid approach unlocks a more robust internet experience for rural communities, leveraging the strengths of both technologies.

Of course, there are challenges. Wireless ISPs will need to adapt and acquire new skills in fiber optic deployment to fully tap into BEAD funding. But there’s also a huge opportunity. Many fixed wireless vendors are already being proactive, integrating xPON into their offerings.

This is where Ethernity Networks (ENET) comes in. Their experience in Carrier Ethernet, xPON, and system-on-chip components positions them perfectly. They can provide cutting-edge solutions for both fixed wireless vendors and ISPs looking to embrace the hybrid model. ENET’s leadership in switching and xPON technologies allows them to tailor cost-effective solutions for diverse deployment scenarios. No matter the specific needs of a rural community, they can offer a solution that leverages the strengths of both fiber and wireless, including support for wireless transmission over xPON to allow extension of wireless antenna closer to the customer . What truly excites me is ENET’s OEM-focused business model. This collaborative approach ensures a smooth transition for vendors, ultimately benefiting rural communities by accelerating their access to high-speed internet.

The BEAD program and the rise of xPON represent a $42 billion market opportunity. ENET’s commitment to a fiber-wireless future, combined with their expertise and partnerships, positions them as a frontrunner. As rural communities embrace the hybrid model, ENET is poised to be a trusted partner, bridging the digital divide and unlocking a brighter future for all.

Ilan Tevet

VP Marketing and Business Development

As part of our line of network appliances, UEP2025 combines an FPGA SoC with our ENET Flow Processor FPGA code and a software stack for Layer 2 switching functionality. Together this creates an appliance that is competitively priced compared with ASIC-based telco switches, while also including the programmability to address the ever-changing demands of evolving telecom markets.

UEP2025 Features

UEP2025 is a Carrier Ethernet switch device with advanced hierarchical QoS, CFM/OAM, and complete Layer 2 functionality. Optionally, UEP2025 can include Sync-E and Power-over-Ethernet capabilities as well. Various port configurations are available, all including 25GbE SFP+, 10GbE RJ45, and 10GbE SFP ports.

Moreover, the UEP2025 comes with Ethernity’s patented link bonding, which offers the ability to load balance a single flow’s traffic over multiple ports, with support for reordering to compensate for differentiated delay. This enables connecting multiple point-to-point wireless radio devices, with an option to include other transport interface types.

By incorporating this bonding technology into a flexible switch device, Ethernity ensures optimum performance and improves the transmitted throughput by dynamically distributing data along multiple wireless links of different speeds and technologies. This allows operators to increase the maximum transmission distance and overcome interruptions or slow wireless transmission due to inclement weather.

Ethernity’s bonding technology is also vendor agnostic, which means it is capable of working with any vendor’s radios. This flexibility means that features can be chosen to fit the particular application requirements without being tied to a given vendor and its specific feature set. Additionally, vendor-agnostic platforms lead to lower overall costs, since there is natural competition among vendors.

Primary Applications

The fundamental versatility of the UEP2025 family of programmable network appliances makes it suitable for a wide variety of telco/cloud network edge applications. That said, it is particularly targeted for fronthaul and backhaul network edge infrastructure solutions and enterprise campus connectivity. Furthermore, it is designed for 5G networks as a wireless backhaul indoor/outdoor unit with integrated link bonding.

A base model of the UEP2025 is also available, primarily targeted toward Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs). Most WISPs are small businesses that own or lease a few towers to provide broadband access and that invest their startup money primarily in supporting a backhaul network. Ethernity’s bonding technology allows these WISPs the flexibility to connect to any radio unit, from any vendor, via any frequency. This introduces a previously unexpected measure of cost-savings into the WISP deployment.

How UEP2025 Stands Out

The device utilizes a single FPGA SoC to run the switch data path, IPSec, MACSec, and the link bonding architecture. By combining this control capability with the 10G and 25G ports, UEP2025 devices are perfectly suited to serve as network appliances for aggregation and demarcation of the WAN from LAN networks.

The beauty of the UEP2025 family is that it is customizable toward a specific purpose within the network. Both the hardware configuration and the FPGA can be customized to meet the demand for various networking functions, different transmission types, and security requirements (as all ports are connected through the FPGA), while achieving maximum performance in a compact, affordable device.

One potential customer recently referred to the UEP2025 as a “Magic Box” because it is such a versatile product that can be used for so many possible applications, and because of the bonding technology that enables dynamic load balancing without data loss. Throw in its complete interoperability with any vendor, and the UEP2025 is the ultimate tool for today’s disaggregated network.

The following is a summary of this year’s experience, with some notes on the feedback we received from the industry moguls.

Wireless Bonding

There was a lot of excitement regarding Ethernity’s unique link bonding technology from the people we spoke to, especially among companies that are featuring dual-band (both e-band and microwave) on their radio towers.  In fact, one potential customer went so far as to call Ethernity’s technology “a no-brainer” in such circumstances, since LAG cannot provide a comparable solution.

PON

Fiber is really a hot topic in the industry right now, with companies all searching for ways to make these deployments more efficient.  As such, Ethernity was conducting meetings from many different angles throughout the show.  One company was interested in using our new UEP3808 OLT to provide both XGS-PON and CPON from a single appliance.  Another especially large company was excited to hear about all our PON devices and eager to see how we can enhance their existing product line by incorporating our technology with their own.

Perhaps most encouraging was the reaction to the previews we provided to our forthcoming new PON solution.  One potential customer saw an immediate opportunity for the solutions for implementation in dense population areas and could anticipate a large market for it in his home country in Asia.

5G User Plane Offload

While Ethernity is concentrating on maximizing its short- and medium-term revenues via the Bonding and PON lines of business, we are still in discussions with companies that are seeking a 5G UPF offload or RU aggregation with vRouter and CU offload solution.

Overall, MWC was really a confirmation that our bonding technology and PON products are truly something special that should have some serious uptake with potential customers over the near and mid-term future.

This week, Ethernity announced the newest of its PON devices, leveraging the power and flexibility of FPGAs for use in PON networks.

The UEP3808 Combo PON OLT appliance has an integrated switch and can be used as a complete PON OLT, offering open interfaces for all control and management functions. By incorporating up to 4 FPGAs within a single box, it provides incredible agility of interfaces, enabling the use of XGS-PON, CPON, and GPON from a single unit.  Incredibly, this is all accomplished from the same hardware design, just using pin-compatible FPGAs of various sizes and capabilities.  And as with all Ethernity products, the UEP3808 also provides hardware acceleration of the data plane with advanced traffic management and high quality of service, creating a lower cost option compared to products based on merchant silicon.

Accompanying this announcement, you can now find a product page on our website for all of Ethernity’s current PON Devices. This new section features both appliances and Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) that integrate PON functionality onto an FPGA, providing high performance and the programmability to address the ever-changing demands of an evolving market.

One of the key added values of our PON devices is disaggregation. A vendor-agnostic, disaggregated solution means that PON providers can avoid vendor lock-in, which could restrict their ability to develop and integrate software at will. This approach allows telecom service providers to pace their own developments and extend them to their access networks without waiting for lengthy standardizations by international entities or for the vendor to fit new customized or proprietary feature requests into tight software roadmaps.

As always, Ethernity Networks is staying ahead of the curve when it comes to offering valuable FPGA-based products for our customers.