Narad Morphs into PhyFlex Networks
Out with the old, in with the new. Narad Networks, which was founded in 2000, has undergone a metamorphosis to a new name – PhyFlex Networks.
The name change was officially announced today, along with the news that PhyFlex Networks became the first vendor to receive compliance for both MEF 9 and MEF 14 certification for Carrier Ethernet over HFC and fiber from the Metro Ethernet Forum for its FTTxSWITCH, Coax Access Switch and Coax Demarcation Unit products.
The MEF news and a shift in the company’s fundamental focus to a switched Ethernet platform were good jumping off points for the name change, according to PhyFlex Networks CEO Michael Collette.
"It’s something we started contemplating six or eight months ago," Collette said of the name change. "We started seeing ourselves as becoming something quite different than what Narad had been. With the MEF certification, the arrival of the new (FTTxSWITCH) product and the real adoption of it by customers, it seemed like a good inflection point for how things have changed.
"We felt like our ability to support the need for change and be flexible at the physical layer was pretty profound. As a marketer, I’ve always been fond of literalism, so those two things were the basis of the new name." FTTxSwitch in the field The FTTxSWITCH from PhyFlex Networks has successfully completed lab trials and is scheduled for field trial with three of the top 10 U.S. operators, including Cablevision Systems and Mediacom Communications. It is in the field test phase at Cogeco Cable and deployment planning phase at Hargray Communications. Internationally, PhyFlex will start three trials in the second quarter, including two in Mexico under the management of Intercable, a Mexican distributor, and one in Korea with World Multi-Net Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Kangnam Cable.
Internationally, the solution is also in field test phase with Cogeco Cable. PhyFlex will also start three trials in the second quarter, including two in Mexico under the management of Intercable, a Mexican distributor, and one in Korea with World Multi-Net Co., a subsidiary of Kangnam Cable. – Mike Robuck