Next-generation optical access seamless Evolution: concluding results of the European FP7 project OASE

Increasing bandwidth demand drives the need for next-generation optical access (NGOA) networks that can meet future end-user service requirements. This paper gives an overview of NGOA solutions, the enabling optical access network technologies, architecture principles, and related economics and business models. NGOA requirements (including peak and sustainable data rate, reach, cost, node consolidation, and open access) are proposed, and the different solutions are compared against such requirements in different scenarios (in terms of population density and system migration). Unsurprisingly, it is found that different solutions are best suited for different scenarios. The conclusions drawn from such findings allow us to formulate recommendations in terms of technology, strategy, and policy. The paper is based on the main results of the European FP7 OASE Integrated Project that ran between January 1, 2010 and February 28, 2013

A green open access optical distribution network with incremental deployment support

This paper proposes an optical distribution network (ODN) architecture for open access networks. The proposed scheme ensures co-existence of multiple business partners (BPs) e.g., service, network equipment, and infrastructure providers at different levels of the distribution network, along with physicallayer security. Further, physical-layer isolation is provided to each subscriber, preventing network disruption by malicious subscribers. The proposed open access ODN supports BPs with different granularities (sizes) and discourages monopoly; thus, allowing multiple BPs to co-exist. It also supports incremental deployability (ID) which allows the BPs to cope with an expanding user base. Thus, small BPs can take up a market share with reasonable initial investment and grow with differential expenditures. ID further allows us to incrementally scale up the power consumption as a function of the network load, making the architecture green. The proposed ODN is based on a passive optical network (PON) architecture resulting in low operational expenditures (OpEx) and high availability. Besides a new ODN architecture, a novel architecture for the optical line terminal (OLT), based on hybrid time and wavelength-division multiplexing (TWDM), is proposed. The BPs can adopt typical TWDM, wavelength division multiplexing, or the TWDM-based OLT architecture (introduced in this paper) over the proposed ODN

Fiber and wavelength Open Access in WDM and TWDM passive optical networks

There has been a large global effort to innovate and design optical access technologies that can accommodate the requirements emerging from a colossal increase in data rates. Currently TWDM-PONs and WDM-PONs have been foreseen as the main candidates for next-generation access systems. Due to current business modeling trends and possible regulatory obligations, these networks should also support open access, which refers to the sharing of a network infrastructure among different network entities in a non-discriminatory way. By sharing the (bottleneck) infrastructure facility, open access reduces the entry barrier for a network entity. This opens doors for a multi-provider scenario, which leads to competition among network players and can significantly reduce the price of services. Opening up the network, however, entails new architectures. In this article we propose novel architectures to support open access at the fiber and wavelength level for WDM-PON and TWDM-PON. These architectures differ significantly in terms of their cost (capital and operational expenditures). We compare the proposed architectures with regard to their cost and analyze the impact of adoption levels (percentage of users subscribed) and customer churn rate (how often the customers change network provider) on the cost of the architectures

FTTx Access Networks: Technical Developments and Standardization

This chapter provides a review of factors driving technical development of broadband access networks, mostly toward higher bit rates and symmetrical services, together with a review of “fiber to the x” (FTTx) technologies for fixed access networks, including development and performance limitations of digital subscriber line (DSL) systems using twisted-pair copper cables, as well as fiber to the home systems. Characteristics and standardization of these systems are presented, together with a review of the two main competing broadband technologies: Data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) in coaxial cable TV networks and the 4G and 5G wireless networks. Additionally, a short list of recent developments in passive technologies (fibers, cables, and connectors) is included. Finally, the issues related to dismantling of the traditional copper telephone network and ensuring continuity of voice services in emergency situations are analyzed