ANAHEIM, Calif.--SBC expects to deploy gigabit-per-second-speed passive optical networks for fiber-to-the-premises applications in the second half of 2006.

"[GPON] is the last thing we'll do in the access world," said Eugene Edmon, executive director of broadband access networks for SBC Labs, in a speech delivered Monday at the OFC/NFOEC show. "Then we can declare the access networks done."

On Tuesday, Ralph Ballart, vice president of broadband access for SBC Labs, clarified that SBC would deploy an "Ethernet-centric" GPON, opting not to employ an ATM-based mode of operation. (SBC's current FTTP architecture, BPON, is based on ATM.) And as with SBC's current FTTP deployment, the carrier would deploy GPON primarily in greenfield applications, Ballart said.

Also speaking Monday, Brian Whitton, executive director of broadband access technology at Verizon Communications, spoke in a less committal tone about GPON. "We do anticipate evolving beyond BPON to GPON or something else," Whitton said.