Verizon announced it has validated interoperability of NG-PON2 at its Technology Center in Waltham, Massachusetts during a trial focused on ONT management and provisioning that used Verizon's OpenOMCI specification, which defines the OLT-to-ONT interface and is aligned with the ITU-T Recommendation G.989.3.
Verizon noted that it worked with ADTRAN, Broadcom, Cortina Access, Ericsson/Calix and Intel, which have expertise with OMCI and interoperability experience with previous generations of PON systems, to develop the OpenOMCI specification that formed the basis for the successful trial. Since the initial NG-PON2 trial in December 2016, the companies have made their hardware and software compliant and are contributing to the OpenOMCI specification.
By defining the tools required to model a multi-wavelength PON, the Verizon OpenOMCI specification optimises the number of managed entities and methods that can be used to implement a particular service function, while disallowing vendor-proprietary objects and features that have previously presented an obstacle to interoperability. The OpenOMCI also features specific managed entities designed to improve the stability of PON systems.
Along with ONT management and provisioning, the trial emphasized transmission convergence layer features that allow support of not only business and residential traffic but wireless transport services. These features are unique to NG-PON2 compared to other PON systems.
Verizon stated that representatives from a number of international communications operators that are interested in NG-PON2 technology, including Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom and Vodafone, attended the trial as virtual observers and gained access to the specification, test plans and results.
Following completion of the trial, Verizon has shared its OpenOMCI specification with the industry for possible inclusion within the appropriate standards.
* Verizon announced it was to begin testing NG-PON2 equipment at its lab in Waltham in July 2016. It noted the testing would focus on features including tuning performance, the ability to carry residential and business services on the same platform and interoperability and conformance with ONT specifications.
