Many households still lack high-speed fiber broadband. Providing gigabit speeds to multi-dwelling unit (MDU) buildings involves navigating landlord agreements, legacy wiring, narrow ducts, and the challenge of reaching every single unit without causing major disruptions. The “last few meters” inside the building are often the most difficult and costly. The main challenge occurs within multi-dwelling units.
While fiber can reach the building, it often doesn’t extend into each unit, especially in older properties where rewiring is expensive, disruptive, or blocked by structural issues. However, with smart planning and the right technology, network operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can turn these challenges into high-speed internet access for every resident.
Genexis decided to partner with Positron Access Solutions to offer Positron’s market-leading MDU ONT solution under the Genexis FiberBridge product name. It allows broadband providers to use a single solution for any legacy cabling in an apartment building, whether coaxial or twisted pair, delivering a fiber-like experience for every apartment.
Broadband for every resident, guest, or customer
“In older legacy buildings that need high-speed broadband access, our primary product is the Positron GAM (Gigabit Any Media) MDU ONT solution. Our specialty is delivering super high-speed, reliable bandwidth inside MDUs, all without the cost, time, and mess of rewiring. It’s a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity for telecom operators because there are tens of thousands of older buildings out there where changing the existing cabling is too expensive, the landlord won’t allow it, or it’s just impossible, like fishing wires through concrete, steel, or glass,” says Jim Staheli, Senior Vice President of Sales & Partner Management at Positron.
In addition to providing MDU fiber solutions, Positron Access addresses several other markets, such as hospitality and resorts, student housing, hospitals, and senior living facilities, and more globally campuses, where enterprises want to upgrade their buildings without the invasiveness of new wiring.
Fiber-like performance over any wiring
Early on, we recognized that operators needed to have an MDU solution that would complement their point-to-point fiber access network (typically 1-10 Gigabit) and serve MDU residents as transparently as possible. The GAM offers extensive API support to easily integrate with existing Business Support Systems (BSS) and simplify how subscribers are created and managed,” explains Jim.
When Genexis approached Positron to discuss how the GAM solution could be used to serve the needs of their customers, they were pleased to discover that the Positron GAM could also operate as an MDU ONT with full support for XGS-PON (and GPON), with a focus on verified interoperability with leading PON platforms.
The GAM uses the proven G.hn standard (ITU G.9960) to achieve Gigabit-plus Ethernet speeds over the telephone pairs or coaxial cabling already in place in these older MDUs.
While PON can deliver fiber to a building, it doesn’t easily extend inside the building. XGS-PON is rapidly becoming the go-to technology for high-speed broadband, with wireless, cable, and ISPs all driving fiber deeper into their networks. In a PON architecture, a single fiber trunk can be split to serve dozens or even hundreds of subscribers – 32, 64, or 128 ways – making it ideal for connecting large numbers of single-family homes and, thanks to the GAM, even multi-dwelling buildings.
Seamless connectivity for MDUs
The Positron MDU ONT solution uses GAM technology to deliver high-speed broadband over a building’s existing wiring – whether coax or copper – eliminating the need for disruptive rewiring.
Just like Genexis’ TrueTalk™, the GAM fully supports the industry-standard ONU Management and Control Interface (OMCI) and integrates seamlessly with any Operations Support System (OSS) and Business Support System (BSS). Moreover, multiple common OLT brands are supported. This allows each apartment to be managed as a standard PON subscriber, making it easy to deploy and operate fiber networks across both new and older buildings, even in environments where multiple OLT platforms from different vendors are running simultaneously.
Leveraging Genexis interoperability
“This brings us to why we partnered with Genexis. Their strength lies in interoperability – their FiberTwist™ ONTs work seamlessly with all major XGS-PON systems, and they have a strong track record in the single-family home market. Many service providers choose Genexis ONTs for their extensive OLT compatibility, performance, and user experience,” continues Jim.
By working together, we give these providers even more flexibility. Genexis can leverage the GAM solution as multi-subscriber MDU ONTs, extending their interoperability advantage into multi-dwelling environments and providing ISPs with more options for deploying high-speed broadband services.”
Genexis FiberBridge cuts costs while delivering high-speed broadband
The partnership is focused on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where rewiring MDUs is expensive and labor-intensive. Expansion to other European countries will follow later. The primary business and operational benefits of the FiberBridge include:
- Lower CapEx – Uses existing in-building cabling to avoid costly rewiring projects.
- Reduced labor costs – Minimal construction work means fewer technician hours per installation.
- Faster deployment – Bring gigabit service to MDUs in days, not weeks or months.
- Accelerated time-to-revenue – Connect subscribers sooner and start generating revenue faster.
- Streamlined operations – OMCI support enables management through existing OSS/BSS and OLT systems, providing seamless integration.
- Vendor flexibility – Works in mixed-vendor environments without operational disruption.
- Consistent customer experience – Manage each apartment as a standard PON subscriber, regardless of in-building wiring.
- Consistent service offering – The operator’s Sales and Marketing can define service offering and launch campaigns that apply to an entire market, single-family homes, and MDUs, having access to the same capabilities.
- Scalable for any building type – For brownfield MDUs.
- Address untapped markets – Offer gigabit-plus broadband to households previously too expensive to address.
With Genexis FiberBridge, the MDU ONT solution delivers gigabit-plus broadband to any building and is faster, simpler, and more cost-effective than ever. From new developments to legacy properties, it’s the smart way to connect every resident without the headaches of complete rewiring.
