Nokia launches Generation 6 fiber access platform

Nokia launched its Generation 6 broadband platform for fiber access services, including 25G PON and future 50G and 100G PON.

The new Lightspan MF-14 platform promises unmatched capacity, sub-millisecond latency, intelligence, six nines reliability and the highest power efficienc for an optical line terminal (OLT). The platform offers 4x higher capacity than Nokia's previous generation. The is no single point of failures, ensuring the highest availability (six nines). SDN programmability and open APIs to enable control function by Nokia or 3rd party network control functions.

Nokia confirmed that the Lightspan MF-14 OLT in the world and has already been selected by customers building 25G PON in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Frontier Communications, the first in the U.S. to trial 25G PON, is also the first to evaluate MF-14 in its live network. CityFibre – the UK’s largest independent full fibre infrastructure platform – signed a 10-year equipment agreement to support its nationwide network upgrade. 

Geert Heyninck, Nokia’s VP Broadband Networks, said: “Fiber-to-the-home is becoming fiber-for-everything. This is enabled by several technology advances, most notably higher speed PON technologies to accommodate all new services, and SDN to bring more intelligence in the network. If you think about it, the massive number of connection points on fiber make it a challenge to get an instant view of everything that happens in your network, fully automate network control, and perform actions with no service interruption. Our current portfolio is doing an excellent job in supporting many of these requirements for today’s and tomorrow’s services, but we are looking ahead. The MF-14 platform will suit operators who are planning large scale 25G PON, 50G and even 100G PON within the same environment.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/10/17/nokia-announces-most-advanced-fiber-broadband-platform-in-the-world/

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DZS breaks terabit barrier with V6 fiber access platform

DZS expanded its fiber access portfolio with a multi-terabit, 6 rack unit (6RU) ONT platform for serving XGS-PON and other fiber access service in high-density locations aggregating over 24,000 subscribers.

The new DZS Velocity V6 system scales to 800 Gbps of non-blocking switching capacity per slot, supporting today's 10 gigabit-class services. DZS says its V6 system design will support in-place upgrades to future 50 Gbps and 100 Gbps PON while maintaining non-blocking performance.

DZS' Cloud software solutions brings orchestration, automation, service assurance and WiFi experience management capabilities.

Significantly, the 6RU ONT provides a direct, form-factor replacement for Huawei OLTs while significantly delivering greater performance and subscriber density. This enables the platform to be depolyed by service providers seeking to “cap and grow“ or “rip and replace“ their existing Huawei fiber access deployments.

“The disruptive innovation underpinning our next generation Velocity V6 enables a cost-effective replacement option of Huawei’s legacy OLT, which has been deployed around the world and is of the same form fit size, though with unparalleled capacity and software defined intelligence,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO, DZS. “From a capacity, switching and fabric perspective, the future-proof V6 enables 800 Gbps of capacity per slot paving the way for 50/100G access technology. The V6 supports simultaneous 24,000 GPON/XGS PON subscribers in one compact system and is ideally suited for network designs of 20,000 to 20 million subscribers.”

“The DZS Velocity V6 can be easily inserted into existing environments to become the catalyst for transformation in any network. With its state-of-the-art performance in a 6RU chassis, non-blocking architecture, minimum latency optical broadband performance and the ability to shift from a centralized to a disaggregated deployment model, the DZS Velocity V6 stands ready to scale and transform as new advanced services emerge and future-generation technologies like 50 gigabit PON become available,” said Miguel Alonso, Chief Product Officer, DZS.

https://dzsi.com/news/news-releases/dzs-extends-velocity-fiber-access-portfolio/

• 
  Earlier this month, DZS introduced Saber-4400 compact, modular, coherent optical metro and edge transport platform supporting up to 400 Gbps per wavelength and multi-degree CDC ROADM functionality.
  Each 1RU DZS Saber-4400 shelf features 4 hot-swappable modules. The platform is scalable to 1.6 Tbps transponder capacity per shelf and supporting a stackable virtual chassis configuration with a single management interface.

DZS perspective: America's $65 billion broadband investment

Monday, November 08, 2021  DZS, Video  

https://youtu.be/Mh6bXzXjKSQAmerica's $65 billion investment in broadband will be a game changer for the entire industry, says Charlie Vogt, president and CEO of DZS. It represents an opportunity to move forward to 10G and 25G architecture. Here is his 1-minute perspecti...

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25GS-PON momentum: 15 deployments underway

The Broadband Forum (BBF) is initiating work to add 25GS-PON to both its Interoperability Testing and PON Management projects. The 25GS-PON technology continues to mature, with the 25GS-PON Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) Group citing increasing interoperability tests, pilots and deployments. 

“The Broadband Forum has agreed to start work on an interoperability test specification and a YANG data model for 25GS-PON. This is an important development as interoperability testing and YANG data modeling have been critical to the success of every previous generation of PON technology and ensuring that future PON advancements are relevant to multi-service needs beyond current residential services,” said Craig Thomas, Vice-President, Strategic Marketing & Business Development at BBF. BBF is the communications industry’s leading open standards development organization focused on accelerating broadband innovation, standards, and ecosystem development.

To date, more than fifteen leading service providers around the world have publicly announced 25GS-PON trials as broadband operators work to ensure their networks can deliver the bandwidth and service levels required by new applications, increased network usage, and millions of new devices. Included in the list of trials is AT&T which, in June 2022, became the first operator in the world to achieve 20 Gbps symmetric speed in a production PON network. In that trial, AT&T also took advantage of wavelength coexistence which enabled them to combine 25GS-PON with XGS-PON and other point-to-point services on the same fiber.

Other operators that have conducted 25GS-PON trials include AIS (Thailand), Bell (Canada), Chorus (New Zealand), CityFibre (UK), Delta Fiber, Deutsche Telekom AG (Croatia), EPB (USA), Fiberhost (Poland), Frontier Communications (USA), Google Fiber (USA), Hotwire (USA), KPN (The Netherlands), Openreach (UK), Proximus (Belgium), Telecom Armenia (Armenia), TIM Group (Italy), and Türk Telekom (Turkey).

In another world’s first, following its successful trial, EPB launched the first community-wide 25 Gbps internet service with symmetrical upload and download speeds, available to all residential and commercial customers.

The 25GS-PON MSA now has 55 members as the number of operators and vendors supporting the development and deployment of 25GS-PON has continued to grow. New 25GS-PON MSA members include service providers Cox Communications, Dobson Fiber, Interphone, Openreach, Planet Networks, and Telus, and technology companies Accton Technology, Airoha, Azuri Optics, Comtrend, Leeca Technologies, minisilicon, MitraStar Technology, NTT Electronics, Source Photonics, Taclink, TraceSpan, uSenlight, VIAVI, Zaram Technology, and Zyxel Communications.

Previously announced members include ALPHA Networks, AOI, Asia Optical, AT&T, BFW, CableLabs, Chorus, Chunghwa Telecom, Ciena, CommScope, Cortina Access, CZT, DZS, EXFO, EZconn, Feneck, Fiberhost, Gemtek, HiLight Semiconductor, Hisense Broadband, JPC, MACOM, MaxLinear, MT2, NBN Co., Nokia, OptiComm, Pegatron, Proximus, Semtech, SiFotonics, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Tibit Communications, and WNC.

https://www.25gspon-msa.org

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Nextlink rolls out Nokia's XGS-PON in 12 states

Nextlink Internet, a rural-based and rural-focused operator in the U.S., has chosen Nokia's XGS-PON solution to support network growth, connecting 200,000 homes and businesses in rural and exurban communities in its seven existing and five new states.

Nextlink is investing in network expansion, adding Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wyoming and Louisiana to its footprint. The company is also expanding its reach into unserved and underserved areas in the states it already operates, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota.

Nokia’s XGS-PON technology allows Nextlink to deploy 10G broadband speeds with a simple path to 25G. In addition, Nextlink is leveraging Nokia’s ONT Easy Start SaaS to speed up and simplify service provisioning in customer homes coupled with WiFi Beacon residential gateways, which power an outdoor optical network termination (ONT) over CAT5/6 with POE+ eliminating the need for localized power.

Sandy Motley, President Nokia Fixed Networks, said: “We are pleased to grow our partnership with Nextlink. Nextlink is deploying a system uniquely capable of delivering GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON over a common fiber infrastructure without having to replace hardware. In addition, Nextlink will be offering Nokia’s world-class managed WiFi solution that will ensure its customers have the ultimate broadband experience anywhere in their homes.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/10/04/nokia-and-nextlink-internet-roll-out-multi-gig-broadband-in-12-states/

Nokia Bell Labs demos 100G PON over a single wavelength

Monday, June 13, 2022  Nokia, PON  

At Fiber Connect 2022 in Nashville, Nokia Bell Labs showed the first proof-of-concept demonstration of 100G PON. The prototype delivers 100Gbps downstream on a single PON wavelength.  The performance is achieved using digital signal processing as well optimizations of the modulation.Nokia is also introducing the concept of a "flexible PON", where the downstream performance can be adjusted in software based on the quality of the channel.Stefaan...

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Tibit raises $30 million for 10G and 25G PON

Tibit Communications announced $30 million in series C funding to support its its 10G PON manufacturing capacity and 25G PON program.

The investment will be used immediately to accelerate Tibit's 25G ASIC program, which will build upon its successful 10G ASIC and MicroPlug™ OLT product line. 25GS-PON will be the next big step in PON access speeds for enterprise, multi-gig residential services and 5G wireless connectivity. Tibit is a founding member and contributor to the 25GS-PON MSA, the 25 gigabit PON standard which now includes almost 50 carriers, system vendors and solution providers worldwide (www.25gspon-msa.org). Tibit's increased investment in 25GS-PON today will establish the Tibit MicroPlug OLT product line as a cornerstone platform for the next big step in fiber broadband access speeds.

The funding round includes Tibit's current investors Liberty Global (LGI), Swisscom Ventures, Intel Capital, Ciena, Juniper Networks and Solasta Ventures.

The Series C investment will also scale Tibit's manufacturing capabilities to meet demand fueled by its successful solution partnerships, game-changing innovations in simplifying PON and control of its own OLT ASIC silicon.

"Tibit has been well positioned to take advantage of the tailwinds from operators investing in 10G PON fiber deployments, which have led to incredible momentum for the company in the marketplace and strong investor support. This funding will enable us to grow our 10G manufacturing capabilities and develop an innovative 25G solution," said Richard Stanfield, President and CEO of Tibit.

https://tibitcom.com/

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Nokia Bell Labs demos 100G PON over a single wavelength

At Fiber Connect 2022 in Nashville, Nokia Bell Labs showed the first proof-of-concept demonstration of 100G PON. The prototype delivers 100Gbps downstream on a single PON wavelength.  The performance is achieved using digital signal processing as well optimizations of the modulation.

Nokia is also introducing the concept of a "flexible PON", where the downstream performance can be adjusted in software based on the quality of the channel.

Stefaan Vanhastel, CTO Nokia Fixed Networks, said: “Fiber is the ultimate broadband infrastructure. It has almost unlimited capacity with only changes to the electronics at either end needed to increase speed. Today, fiber can already deliver 10G and 25G speeds. 50G will be available in the second half of this decade. With this proof-of-concept demo, we show that 100G is already within reach; all with the fiber network infrastructure that is being built today.”

Here's the overview.

https://youtu.be/B31r1ChgJFY

Nokia also notes that it was the first telco equipment vendor to enable 25G PON on the same OLT equipment that is being deployed today for GPON and XGS-PON. In addition, according to Dell’Oro, Nokia was the 2021 market share leader for XGS-PON equipment. Seven out of 10 fiber homes in the USA are served using Nokia FTTH kit.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/06/13/nokia-showcases-first-100gbsecond-fiber-broadband-technology-in-the-us/

Nokia milestone: 1.5 millionth Quillion-powered PON port shipments

Tuesday, May 24, 2022  Nokia  

Nokia has reached the 1.5 million port milestone for its Quillion chipset-based broadband solutions, potentially reaching 50 million subscribers.500K of the ports are 25G PON-ready.The Quillion chipset now has more than160 operator customers around the world. Designed to offer multi-PON capabilities with GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON all running on the same fiber, Quillion also reduces energy consumption, with 50% less power needed in fiber installations...

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Nokia builds mini-OLT with its Quillion chipset

Sunday, November 07, 2021    

Nokia introduced what it is calling the world's smallest Optical Line Terminal (OLT) based on its Quillion chipset. The Lightspan DF-16GM OLT, which can simultaneously provide services from 1 to 25 Gbps, is designed for deployment in street cabinets in low-density areas.The mini-OLT supports GPON, XGS-PON and 25G PON. These enables the unit to cover all service types (residential, business and anyhaul) from a single solution. Nokia says the...

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Vodafone tests Nokia's 100G single wavelength PON

Sunday, February 07, 2021  Nokia, PON, Vodafone  

Vodafone completed a trial of a new Passive Optical Network (PON) technology capable of delivering speeds up to 100 Gbs on a single wavelength - the first application of flexible rate transmission in a PON network. The test was conducted in Vodafone’s Eschborn lab in Germany.The Nokia Bell Labs 100G PON prototype leveraged 25G optics in combination with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. 25G class optics are based on mature eco-system and...

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Nokia intros 25 Gbps symmetrical PON solution

Thursday, November 19, 2020  25G PON, Nokia  

Nokia introduced a 25 Gbps symmetrical PON fiber broadband solution based on its own Quillion chipset and existing next-generation PON access platform and line cards.Nokia says 25G PON will be a key technology to enable fiber to become the single infrastructure that underpins the entire telecom industry and to deliver any service to any end point. It is also the best next step for PON: it leverages the high volumes and mature eco-system of data center...

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What's next for fiber access?

GPON has been the leading fiber access for the last 15 years, but which 10G or beyond technology will prevail next. 

Robert Conger, ADTRAN's SVP Technology & Strategy, discusses the various PON options, including XGS-PON, Combo-PON and higher-speed alternatives.

https://youtu.be/nHR7Keh68aY

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ADTRAN's Combo PON been adopted by more than 100 operators

 ADTRAN's Combo PON technology, which launched in June 2020, has been adopted by more than 100 operators worldwide, including every type of service provider—from altnets, RDOF recipients, multinational Tier 1 operators and cable operators.

Combo PON makes upgrading to symmetrical 10G PON services simple by seamlessly supporting the installed base of GPON subscribers while blanketing the entire FTTH network with the higher speed and capacity of symmetric 10 Gbps XGS-PON. ADTRAN’s Combo PON technology is available across the company’s OLT portfolio, whether it is the disaggregated SDX 6000 series, integrated Total Access 5000 family of 10G fiber access platforms or its low-density remote OLTs (including the recently announced Micro-Cabinet).

“ADTRAN introduced Combo PON to close the debate on whether to deploy GPON or XGS-PON FTTH technology by providing a simplified and cost-effective network strategy just as carriers of all sizes, in all markets were focused on building new fiber networks,” said Robert Conger, SVP, Technology and Strategy at ADTRAN. “The proof of how relevant and impactful ADTRAN’s Combo PON has been in addressing this market demand is the unprecedented customer momentum we are witnessing.”

https://www.adtran.com/index.php/adtran-s-combo-pon-technology-supercharges-multigigabit-broadband-adoption-for-operators-worldwide
ADTRAN brings Combo PON tech to its TA5000 fiber access platform

Wednesday, June 03, 2020  ADTRAN  

ADTRAN has added support for Combo PON within its Total Access 5000 (TA5000) fiber access platform, enabling network operators to deliver GPON and XGS-PON technologies over a single common optical distribution network. Both fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technologies can be simultaneously deployed from a single advanced FTTH module, eliminating the need for performance-draining external coexistence modules.

ADTRAN says Combo PON can simplify the upgrade path to XGS-PON. Operators can seamlessly support the installed base of GPON subscribers while blanketing the entire FTTH network with the higher speed and capacity of XGS-PON. The TA5000 8-port Combo PON OLT Access Module with integrated coexistence functionality supports the delivery of GPON, XGS-PON and Combo PON from a common OLT port.

The new company also notes that Combo PON makes the TA5000 becomes the highest density 10G PON solution in the U.S. market.The TA5000 supports greater than 60,000 FTTH subscribers within a single standard central office rack, while only utilizing 64 home “splits” per passive optical network (PON).

“Service providers all over the world need to cost-effectively deploy high-capacity, scalable full-fiber networks supporting consumer cloud, remote worker, IoT and enterprise applications,” said Javier Lopez, ADTRAN’s Director of Product Management for Broadband Access. “We understand that both established and emerging service providers are making network decisions with decade-long implications. We believe we are adding new capabilities, like Combo PON and 100G interfaces, at the right time to help operators achieve their future network goals.”

http://www.adtran.com/TA5000

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Radisys intros white box OLTs for GPON and XGS-PON

 Radisys introduced a Combo PON Optical Line Terminal (OLT) family including 16 and 32-port versions — a variant of which is the Radisys white box Combo PON OLT that supports both G-PON (2.488 Gbps downstream / 1.244 Gbps upstream) and XGS-PON (10 Gbps symmetrical) within the same PON port of the OLT. The white box OLTs are based on the VOLTHA/SEBA reference architecture and are field-hardened and scaled for commercial deployments today.

Radisys said its Combo PON OLT allows broadband providers to take advantage of pervasive GPON technology while giving them a flexible upgrade path to scale up and rollout XGS-PON deployments without costly rip and replace.

“Radisys’ Combo PON OLTs give broadband providers an optimal economic advantage with the flexibility to use both G-PON and XGS-PON in their networks and through a reduction in space and power consumption,” said Harris Razak, senior vice president of Broadband Access, Radisys. “All products in the Connect Open Broadband portfolio utilize the same management system and controlling software, allowing our provider customers to choose the features and capacity they want while keeping other network elements the same, lowering their total cost of ownership and optimizing their Capex and Opex.”

“We are pleased that Radisys’ 32-port G-PON OLT has been named a certified VOLTHA product within the ONF Continuous Certification Program. This certification, along with the introduction of the Radisys Combo PON OLT with support for VOLTHA/SEBA, offers broadband service providers with greater solution choices for their FTTX deployments,” said Guru Parulkar, ONF Executive Director. “As an ONF Partner Member, Radisys has been instrumental in the development of ONF open reference designs as well as the commercialization of ONF-based solutions. The Continuous Certification Program ensures that service providers can easily identify certified products for specific ONF projects within a vibrant ecosystem of vendors delivering and deploying ONF open source platforms.”

https://hub.radisys.com/press-release

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Telecom Armenia picks Nokia's 25G PON

Nokia's confirmed a country-wide deal to supply PON solutions to Telecom Armenia.  The first  PON network was switched on this week at an event held by Telecom Armenia. 

Telecom Armenia will deploy Nokia’s GPON and XGS-PON fiber equipment, which is software upgradable to 25G PON technology in future, along with its Wi-Fi Beacons and Altiplano management platform. Covering both the network and customer homes, the comprehensive solution from Nokia will initially be used by Telecom Armenia to connect customers to broadband access in the capital city of Yerevan before rolling out services to the rest of the country. 

Hayk Yesayan, CEO of Telecom Armenia, said: “The Nokia brand is highly respected in Armenia and we’re delighted to be working with them on a comprehensive Multi-PON and WiFi solution which enables us to offer 10Gb/s broadband to our customers using integrated XGS-PON solution. The network equipment installed is ready to support 25Gb/s making us the first telco in the region ready for Nokia`s 25G PON technology.”

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Vodafone tests Nokia's 100G single wavelength PON

Vodafone completed a trial of a new Passive Optical Network (PON) technology capable of delivering speeds up to 100 Gbs on a single wavelength - the first application of flexible rate transmission in a PON network. The test was conducted in Vodafone’s Eschborn lab in Germany.

The Nokia Bell Labs 100G PON prototype leveraged 25G optics in combination with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. 25G class optics are based on mature eco-system and available today. Nokia said going beyond 25G requires advanced DSP capabilities demonstrated in this trial. Flexible rate transmission works by grouping fiber modems (ONUs) that exhibit similar physical network characteristics (e.g. loss or dispersion) and makes data transmission more efficient. Using flexible rate transmission results in lower latency on a PON and cuts power consumption in half — two essential characteristics for fiber networks that have a rapidly growing role in the massive delivery of fixed and mobile broadband services.

Gavin Young, Vodafone’s Head of Fixed Access Centre of Excellence, said: “100G PON has 40 times the capacity of today’s GPON networks, and 10 times the capacity of XGS-GPON, so it will help us keep ahead of the demand curve.  In addition to ultra-high speeds, the technology supports our vision of highly efficient and adaptable next-generation networks. 100G PON enables flexible rates, and works by grouping modems using a technique similar to the one we already use in our cable networks, so this experience can help us to better evaluate and exploit this new PON technology.”

Stefaan Vanhastel, Chief Technology Officer, Fixed Networks Division, Nokia, said: “We keep pushing the potential of fiber access so that capacity stays ahead of the unrelenting demand of the connected world. In 2020, we launched the first commercial 25G PON solution. Now, we’re delighted to show state-of-the-art 100G technology together with Vodafone. These breakthroughs in speed turn an existing fiber-to-the-home network into a fiber network that can connect homes, businesses, remote cable nodes and 5G small cells.”

Nokia noted that its pioneering work with flexible rate PON follows its previous breakthroughs in 10G PON, TWDM-PON, universal PON and 25G PON.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2021/02/02/nokia-and-vodafone-showcase-record-breaking-100-gigabit-fiber-broadband/

Nokia intros 25 Gbps symmetrical PON solution

Thursday, November 19, 2020  25G PON, Nokia  

Nokia introduced a 25 Gbps symmetrical PON fiber broadband solution based on its own Quillion chipset and existing next-generation PON access platform and line cards.

Nokia says 25G PON will be a key technology to enable fiber to become the single infrastructure that underpins the entire telecom industry and to deliver any service to any end point. It is also the best next step for PON: it leverages the high volumes and mature eco-system of data center optical technologies to achieve the best cost point, huge capacity, fastest time-to-market, and simplest evolution path compared to 50G PON, which will require a massive technology leap or long time to mature.

All customers with 10 Gbps Quillion boards will also now have 25 Gbps capabilities in their network. Nokia 25G PON can co-exist with GPON and XGS-PON on the same infrastructure, allowing CSPs to add 25 Gbps in overlay without disrupting existing customer services. This will allow them to add 25G PON quickly and efficiently when and where needed to capitalize on new opportunities.

Sandra Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, said: “Nokia continues to lead the PON evolution. We have a long history of firsts: from the first volume GPON deployments to the first 10G PON and next-generation access platforms. It is vital that we keep pushing and enable our customers to capitalize on new opportunities while fully leveraging their existing investments. By delivering a step-change increase in fiber broadband networks with our 25G PON solution, CSPs will be able to bring better broadband to consumers and businesses, both through fixed fiber and 5G mobile broadband.”

New 25GS-PON multisource agreement gets underway

Sunday, October 25, 2020  25G, 25G PON  

A new 25G symmetric PON multi-source agreement (25GS-PON MSA) is underway with the goal of promoting and accelerating the development of 25GS-PON. 

The MSA Group has defined the 25GS-PON specification needed to address the gap between 10G XGS-PON and 50G PON in the ITU-T. The MSA was created after the ITU-T SG15/Q2 group did not reach consensus to standardize 25GSPON, which is seen as a crucial technology by many of the world’s top operators and vendors.

As a first step, the 25GS-PON MSA Group created a specification for 25GS-PON which includes optical specifications based on the IEEE 802.3ca 25G EPON standard, along with a Transmission Convergence (TC) layer that is an extension of XGS-PON. 

The MSA Group will also promote and catalyze the market development for 25GS-PON.

The founding members of the 25GS-PON MSA Group include: AOI, Chorus, Chunghwa Telecom, Ciena, MACOM, MaxLinear, NBN Co., Nokia, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, and Tibit Communications.

http://www.25gspon-msa.org

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Radisys unveils software-defined PON architecture

Radisys introduced Connect Open Broadband, a carrier-grade, Tier 1 network-hardened, scalable and secure software-defined Passive Optical Network (PON) distribution based on open standards and web-scale architecture.


Radisys’ Connect Open Broadband offers an intelligent, scalable and secure software-defined PON distribution based on the Open Networking Foundation’s (ONF) SEBA reference platform and enhanced with Radisys innovation. This architecture allows for a seamless introduction of the Broadband Forum’s OB-BAA architecture by conforming to the standard YANG models with the Northbound Interface (NBI).

The solution disaggregates software from the underlying hardware with open interfaces, enabling faster product innovation cycles. The hardware agnostic solution enables service providers to leverage white-box optical line terminals (OLTs) from an interoperable multi-vendor ecosystem for flexible deployable options.

Connect Open Broadband, built on cloud-native microservices architecture, allows for the addition of new network functions on demand and delivers a path to automated and simplified network operation. The programmability, automation and deeper network visibility further enables better fault detection, faster service delivery and future-proof network expansions.

The solution is access network (GPON, XGS-PON, NG-PON2) agnostic and offers flexible deployment options.

“In the digital era where high-bandwidth services and pervasive connectivity are required to meet subscriber expectations, service providers are rethinking how they build their networks to meet demand with optimal performance and value,” said Harris Razak, senior vice president of Broadband Access, Radisys. “Connect Open Broadband is a commercially ready, network-hardened solution that allows service providers to enable rapid innovation through disaggregation and to bring new services to market faster.”

“Radisys has been a Partner Member of ONF for many years and has been one of the most active supply chain members working directly with our operator partners. Radisys has helped drive ONF open reference designs and open source platforms and is among the first to commercialize solutions based on ONF platforms,” said Guru Parulkar, Executive Director, ONF. “Radisys’ Connect Open Broadband combines open architectures, software innovation, and white-box hardware to facilitate service agility.” 

https://hub.radisys.com/broadband-access/rsys-connect-broadband-access-brief-final

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Tibit raises $25M for 10G PON Microplug

Tibit Communications, a start-up based in Petaluma, California, announced the completion of the Series B funding led by Intel Capital and including two new investors – Swisscom Ventures and AJU IB Investment.

Tibit's MicroPlug OLT is a network access device for 10-Gigabit optical networking that reduces the amount of application-specific hardware needed for network deployments.The company says its standard-based SFP+ form factor allows the device to plug into almost any 10G switch port, greatly expanding architecture options for carriers. All this is enabled by the Tibit bridge ASIC, which supports a rich feature set across both ITU-T and IEEE 10G PON standards.

"Tibit's MicroPlug OLT and cloud-based management solutions disrupt the PON market in specifically the areas that carriers are looking to unlock on their networks – interoperability, solution disaggregation, and network virtualization. We see their solution as uniquely positioned to help carriers enable next-generation architectures for access and management solutions," according to Pär Lange of Swisscom Ventures.

"We are pleased with the caliber of investors we have attracted to invest in our revolutionary pluggable PON technology," said Richard Stanfield, President and CEO of Tibit. "This includes the Series B participation of Tibit's existing investors, Intel Capital's lead role in this round, and now the entry of the investment arm of global telecommunications leader Swisscom Ventures and Korea's leading venture capital investor AJU IB Investment."

Dave Flanagan, vice president of Intel Corp. and senior managing director of Intel Capital, states that "the Tibit MicroPlug technology is a great example of the power of virtualization. It provides more flexibility, higher density and lower cost by deploying PON in general-purpose Ethernet switching equipment and management solutions, which can be entirely virtualized on Intel® processor-based servers."

The funding round was led by Intel Capital. TiBit was founded in 2014.

http://tibitcom.com/

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Tibit raises $20M for 10G PON Microplug

Tibit Communications, a start-up based in Petaluma, California, announced $20 million in Series B funding for its access devices for Passive Optical Networking (PON).

Tibit's MicroPlug OLT is a network access device for 10-Gigabit optical networking that reduces the amount of application-specific hardware needed for network deployments.The company says its standard-based SFP+ form factor allows the device to plug into almost any 10G switch port, greatly expanding architecture options for carriers. All this is enabled by the Tibit bridge ASIC, which supports a rich feature set across both ITU-T and IEEE 10G PON standards.

"The reception from our switch vendor partners and global carriers to our 2018 launch of the MicroPlug OLT has been tremendous," said Richard Stanfield, Tibit CEO and President. "The interest in deploying the Tibit solution across a variety of switch environments is a strong validation of the flexibility we've engineered into our solution."

The funding round was led by Intel Capital. TiBit was founded in 2014.

http://tibitcom.com/

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Huawei announces 50G PON prototype

Huawei announced a single-wavelength 50G passive optical network (PON) prototype.

The new unit provides 50 Gbps downstream transmission rates and 25 Gbps/50 Gbps upstream transmission rates over a single wavelength.

Huawei's design is based on mature 25G optical components. It achieves 50 Gbps transmission rates over a single wavelength through fiber dispersion compensation and transmitter/receiver bandwidth compensation technologies on the physical PON links. Under the 1:64 split ratio, the prototype supports transmissions over 20 km, and enables customers to smoothly transition to 50G PON networks without needing to change the ODN of the live network. The prototype is also fully compatible with XG(S)-PON and 10G-EPON in the 50G PON wavelength planning. To protect operators' investment, 50G PON boards are designed so that they can be inserted and run in the Huawei new-generation smart distributed OLT MA5800.

In February 2018, the ITU-T officially initiated the 50G PON standards project and began developing technical solutions and standards. The standards are expected to be finalized in 2020 and put into commercial use in 2023.

Huawei notes that is a contributing member of the ITU-T and IEEE in 50G PON technology.

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Intel intros 10G PON chipset for FTTx and 5G base stations

Intel introduced a new multimode 10G PON chipset designed for small form-factor pluggable optical network termination (SFP+ ONU) and single family unit (SFU) ONUs.

In a blog post, Intel's Dirk Wieberneit writes that SFP+ ONU plays a crucial role in fiber deployments by providing entire ONU (Mac and PHY) connectivity between the 10G PON optical network and any unit it is plugged into, such as residential gateways, MDUs, DPUs, mobile small cells and base-station equipment. This positions the new chipset for a wide range of implementations in both residential and business environments, including SFU, SFP+ ONU, fiber to the distribution point (FTTdp)/multi-dwelling unit (MDU), and 5G base stations, while enabling service providers to reuse their existing fiber infrastructure.

A key feature is an embedded 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) PHY, which supports low-power, cost-effective SFUs, providing fast speeds both into and throughout the home.

Other features of the chipset:

• It can be used in both ITU and IEEE PON environments (EPON, 10G-EPON, GPON, XGPON1, XGS-PON, NG-PON2 and active optical Ethernet.)  
• It is prepared for bidirectional optical subassemblies (BOSA), allowing cost-effective BOSA on board (BoB) ONU designs. 
• It supports network timing synchronization protocols, such as IEEE 1588v2, synchronous Ethernet or time of day (ToD), providing clock accuracy for 5G/LTE mobile base stations.
• It offers embedded VoIP supporting FXS voice ports. 
• It delivers the necessary quality of service (QoS) and power management, carrier-grade features and hardware OAM, including Y1731, with the highest accuracy.  
• It includes a dual-core, multithread processor and dedicated packet processing engine so you get both service application flexibility and benchmark performance. 

https://itpeernetwork.intel.com/fiber-networks-upgrade-10g-pon-chipset/

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Google's Super PON could be a game changer

Google is working on a "Super PON" architecture that could improve the economics of fiber-to-the-home deployments, said Claudio DeSanti, Architect at Google Fiber, speaking last week at ADTRAN's Broadband Business Solutions event in Huntsville, Alabama.

Google's foray into last mile fiber access networks dates back to 2010 when it announced plans to challenge the incumbent telcos and MSOs in the U.S. with a Google-branded and delivered gigabit broadband and TV service. Google Access picked Kansas City for its first deployment and opened a public comment process to identify future rollout locations. Nearly 1,100 communities across the country expressed interest in participating in the Google project and nearly 200,000 individuals submitted comments.

DeSanti presented the timeline that eventually took Google Access to 11 cities

Then, in October 2016, the Google Fiber project officially hit the pause button. Craig Barratt, who was CEO of Access, stepped down. The said it would continue rolling out in the cities in it was already present, but that is was pausing operations and laying off workers in many cities where it had once anticipated deploying an FTTH network. Google said its effort had spurred AT&T and others to get serious about FTTH, while holding out the possibility of reentering the market if and when new technology options became available.

De Santi said the major lessons learned from this undertaking were that building infrastructure is complex, especially the lengthy permitting process that varies from city to city, and that last mile construction and outside plant costs represent the bulk of spending, mostly because of labor. Google found aerial FTTH to be prohibitively expensive due to policy restrictions of pole sharing with utility companies.

Regarding future rollouts, DeSanti said Google is now taking a more practical perspective on running the business for profit and sustainability.

In February 2018, Dinesh (Dinni) Jain ws been appointed CEO of Access, the new name for the Google Fiber and Webpass business. Jain most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Time Warner Cable.

DeSanti said the Super-PON architecture that his team is developing could be a game changer for several reasons. First, it targets a 50 km reach from the Central Office to the subscriber, rather than the 20km target of the current technology. The longer reach is achieved with amplification. This means a larger serving area per CO, and few COs needed to cover a whole city. For a mid-sized U.S. metropolitan area, the current PON architecture requires Google to operate 16 COs. The Super PON might need as few as 3 COs to do the same job. These CO could also be CDN distribution points. No active equipment is deployed outside the CO. It operates over a passive ODN.

Second, the Super PON targets up to 1,024 subscribers, up significantly from the maximum 64-subscriber split available on its current technology. With Super PON, DWDM is used to multiplex multiple channels over a single feeder fiber. DeSanti said few fibers would be needed to support the same number of customers, enabling the deployment of small cables (12-48 fiber cables versus 432-fiber cables). The advantage of smaller cables is that micro-trenching techniques can be used, cutting the time and cost of deployment. Repairs to a fiber cut could also be handled much faster for a 24-fiber cable (under 2 hours) versus 8-hours to repair a 432-fiber cable.

DeSanti noted that Super PON standardization began in January 2018 with a presentation at the New Ethernet Applications group of IEEE 802.3. Last month, IEEE 802.3 approved the formation of a Super PON Study Group. In parallel, Super PON has also been presented to both ITU-T and FSAN, possibly as an NG-PON2 extension. Google has a pre-standard implementation deployed in the field.

An open question is whether Super PON economics leads Google to unpause its Access ambitions.

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Dell'Oro forecasts fast growth for next-gen PON technologies

The worldwide PON market will grow to over $7 billion by 2022, according to a newly published report by Dell’Oro Group, driven by next-generation PON technologies, including 10 Gbps EPON, XGS-PON, and NG-PON2. This represents a compounded annual growth rate of almost 40 percent from 2017 to 2022.

“Where PON technologies are used for residential broadband services, 2.5 Gbps GPON will remain as the dominant technology due to its lower price and sufficient speeds.  However, for a number of growing use cases such as business services and mobile backhaul, next-generation PON technologies have capacities and capabilities that current generation technologies lack,” said Alam Tamboli, Senior Analyst at Dell’Oro Group.

“10 Gbps EPON has already begun shipping strongly in China where current generation PON is widely deployed.  Shipments of XGS-PON and NG-PON2 remain small for now, but we anticipate that XGS-PON will grow more rapidly. XGS-PON and its 10 Gbps symmetric bandwidth should meet operators’ needs for business services and mobile backhaul,” Tamboli added.

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AT&T completes software-based XGS-PON field trials

AT&T completed field trials of a 10 Gbps XGS-PON virtualized network using Open Source Access Manager Hardware Abstraction (OSAM-HA) software in Atlanta and Dallas.

OSAM-HA, which was previously known as Virtual Optical Line Termination Hardware Abstraction (VOLTHA), enables a virtualized Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) function to manage subscribers. OSAM is a vendor agnostic operational suite for managing consumer and business broadband access network elements and capabilities; separate from vendor-specific Access Element Management Systems (EMS).

XGS-PON is a fixed wavelength symmetrical 10Gbps passive optic network technology.  During the trials, the XGS-PON system tested multi-gigabit high-speed Internet traffic and provided a seamless AT&T DIRECTV NOW video experience to participants.

One observation from the trial is that AT&T found it possible for GPON and XGS wavelengths to coexist across a single fiber interface.

“Our network is constantly evolving. We’ll continue to execute our software-based network strategy to technologies like 5G, virtualized RAN, and G.FAST over time. Ultimately, instead of deploying islands of technology that have SDN control, we want to orchestrate the entire end-to-end network through ONAP,” said Eddy Barker, assistant vice president, Access Architecture and Design, AT&T.

ONAP stands for Open Network Automation Platform. It’s our virtual access project within the Linux Foundation and will use the first iteration of OSAM-HA technology.

AT&T releases its Virtual Optical Line Termination Hardware Abstraction to ONF

Thursday, October 05, 2017  ATT  No Comments

AT&T is contributing its Virtual Optical Line Termination Hardware Abstraction (VOLTHA) code into the Open Networking Foundation (ONF).

VOLTA provides the framework behind AT&T's XGS-PON access network in the cloud. AT&T is currently performing proof-of-concept testing of VOLTHA in its labs and are planning to deploy XGS-PON field trials before the end of 2017.

AT&T described its decision to contribute its VOLTHA code as one more step in its commitment to move toward open source software and SDN/NFV frameworks.

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