Momentum continues to build for home networking of digital entertainment using in-home coaxial cable –
ATLANTA, GA, September 8, 2005 – Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) and Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc. today announced that Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc has joined the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) as the organization’s first Associate Member. Hitachi is the world’s leading provider of Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) equipment, with over 800,000 subscriber connections in service. FTTP networks are increasingly being used to provide triple play (video, voice, data) services to homes and businesses.
MoCA develops and promotes specifications for the transport of digital entertainment and information content over in-home coaxial cable. By tapping into the unused bandwidth available on coax installed within homes, MoCA’s technology delivers HD and DVD quality digital entertainment and high-speed data throughout the home without glitches or freezes. Moreover, coax is already wired to locations in the home where residents typically use the most demanding, high-bandwidth services, especially high quality video services including HDTV.
FTTP solutions deliver multiple services to the home via a single optical fiber cable – a very efficient method of service delivery from an outside plant infrastructure point of view. Because coaxial cable is ubiquitous and has significant spare bandwidth, the ability to use this ready-made infrastructure combined with the FTTP solution for the connection of computers, telephones, and IP video – in addition to RF video – is very attractive to end users and service providers alike.
According to David Foote, Chief Technology Officer of Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., “Fiber to the ‘X’ technology is gaining a strong foothold as the ultimate broadband delivery platform for residential and commercial multimedia services.” Continued Mr. Foote, “An obstacle in the past has been the requirement to provide multiple types of wiring within the residence to provide video, voice and data services in their legacy formats. The specifications and solutions being developed by MoCA will help the end-user by eliminating or minimizing the cost and effort associated with specialized in-home wiring needed to take advantage of the higher bandwidths offered by FTTP.”
MoCA now stands alone as the only home networking alliance to include Tier 1 members from each of the key digital entertainment service providers – cable, satellite, and telecom, as well as leading networking equipment and consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers. “The participation by major vendors such as Hitachi demonstrates the critical mass that has developed for MoCA and its technology”, said Ladd Wardani, President of MoCA and Vice President of Entropic Communications. ”We welcome Hitachi, and look forward to its participation in our growing alliance.”
About Hitachi’s FTTP Product Family
Hitachi’s FTTP platform is a family of products that provides ultra high bandwidth communication services to residential, business and institutional subscribers using a single optical fiber direct to the subscriber’s premises. Hitachi’s products for North America are compliant with ITU-T standards such as GPON, providing further assurance that service providers will have maximum flexibility in implementing FTTP solutions as speeds and capabilities increase in the future.
About Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc.
Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., develops, manufactures and markets telecommunications equipment for the North American market. The company offers access systems such as Ethernet-optimized BPON and ITU-compliant ‘triple play’ systems for Fiber-to-the-Premises applications, and ultra high-speed optical networking equipment such as DWDM and SONET systems. For more information on Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc., visit http://www.hitachitelecom.com.
Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information on Hitachi America, visit
http://www.hitachi.us.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s Website at http://www.hitachi.com.
About MoCA
The Multimedia over Coax Alliance was formed to provide the solution for home networking digital entertainment without compromise. The mission of the alliance is to develop industry specifications and interoperability certification for delivering high bandwidth digital content over in-home coaxial cables. For more information on MoCA and for information on how to become an associate member, please see www.mocalliance.org.