October 19, 2006 -- The HomePNA Alliance has announced the appointment of a new board member and four new member companies. Sunrise Telecom, a provider of testing and monitoring platforms for "triple play" voice, video, and data services and digital multimedia applications, was appointed to the alliance's board of directors. The new member companies include equipment manufacturers Netopia, Zhone Technologies, and UTStarcom, and component manufacturer MCR Group.
HomePNA 3.0 technology, standardized by the ITU in May 2005, is a multimedia home networking technology for triple-play services: entertainment data networking, VoIP and computer networking. According to the alliance, the technology's blend of high speed, robust performance, low cost, guaranteed QoS, and the ability to operate simultaneously over both phone lines and coaxial cables make it uniquely suited to the needs of service providers for deploying new services.
HomePNA Alliance members develop the internationally recognized interoperability standards and best practices that help service providers answer demand for next-generation home networking solutions. HomePNA technology leverages the ubiquitous in-home wiring infrastructure of telephone and cable service providers to expedite deployment of new IP-based triple-play services including telephone, television, and computer networking.
"We see HomePNA technology continuing to gain strong momentum as a preferred means of distributing IPTV in customers' homes," says Robert Heintz, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Sunrise Telecom. "Sunrise Telecom is eager to help the alliance further develop specifications and practices that will help telecom providers deploy these services quickly and seamlessly."
HomePNA standards developed within the alliance provide the tools needed to design and install equipment for the new services, which allows for faster development cycles and consumer deployments.
"We welcome Sunrise Telecom to the HomePNA board of directors," comments David Deas, vice president, networks and services, at AT&T Laboratories Inc., a HomePNA board member company. "Test equipment is a critical component to actually deploying the new equipment our members develop using HomePNA technology. Sunrise Telecom's expertise will help us benefit from the service, speed, and reliability the standard promises."