The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) has awarded its first certifications to two Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), the home-side device for fiber-fed passive optical networks (PONs).

The first ONT vendor products to pass the test were Motorola Inc.’s ONT1000M, and Tellabs’ 1600-612 Single Family Unit (SFU) ONT. Both ONT models have embedded the MoCA technology.

Support for MoCA will help to eliminate an inherent challenge for IPTV services; namely, how video is shuttled and shared among multiple TVs and other devices in homes that are not already wired for Ethernet. Using MoCA, video can be networked over IP on existing coaxial lines at net speeds above 100 Mbps.

MoCA will also reduce installation time and customer acquisition costs, the vendors said.

“These certifications help MoCA continue to establish itself as the de facto coax home networking standard for digital entertainment,” said Tom Leacock, chair of the MoCA Certification Working Group and MoCA engineering manager, in a statement.

Although MoCA, an effort that has solid backing from the likes of Comcast Corp. and Cox Communications, continues to aim for de facto status in the coax world, it is not the only game in town. Coaxsys uses proprietary technology, and has found some success with small- and mid-sized telcos. Pulse~LINK, meanwhile, is looking to graft Ultrawideband technology onto coax to produce “application layer throughput” of greater than 400 Mbps.