SBC Communications Inc. on Tuesday announced a four-year supplier agreement with Alcatel as part of its initiative to build fiber to homes.
San Antonio-based SBC says the agreement will allow the No. 2 local phone company to go forward with lab tests and field trials.
SBC says it plans field trials during the first half of 2004.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, and SBC says it is a non-exclusive agreement.
The Alcatel 7340 fiber-to-the-user (FTTU) solution consists of passive-optical network-based elements, including gear for the central office, and business and home terminals. SBC says the technology powering FTTP (fiber-to-the-premise) networks based on Alcatel’s gear is active in Mission Bay, a residential and business community in San Francisco.
BellSouth Corp., SBC and Verizon Communications Inc. all have announced plans to build fiber to the premises, but the phone giants say their commercial plans will depend on federal regulations and the results of trials.
Building fiber to the premise could allow the local phone companies to offer millions of consumers such new services as interactive gaming, video conferencing and video-on-demand.
