Broadband and FTTx â What has been done? Where is it going?
Broadband and FTTx â What has been done? Where is it going?
Broadband and FTTx â What has been done? Where is it going?
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electronics must be completely replaced when moving to VDSL,which clearly changes the economic scenario. Of course, if thecopper cable infrastructure <strong>is</strong> still available <strong>and</strong> capable of transportingthe new very high b<strong>it</strong> rates, then the cost of deployingVDSL will still remain far lower than <strong>it</strong>s corresponding fiber technology.However, if c<strong>it</strong>ies adopt leg<strong>is</strong>lation forcing every transporttechnology to be buried in new neighborhoods, thus requiringnew infrastructure to be deployed (Greenfield), then the previousMethodModemT1 LineBy CarFTTHPONSpeed56 Kb<strong>it</strong>/s PC500 Kb<strong>it</strong>/s Cable10 Mb<strong>it</strong>/s100 Mb<strong>it</strong>/sDuration~26 h 12 min~3 h1.5 Mb<strong>it</strong>/s ~1 h~90 km/h ~40 min
Per Subscriber Downstream Line Rate (Mb<strong>it</strong>/s)240220200BPON (622M/1×32) (w RF Video Overlay)GPON (1×32);GPON (1×64); BPON (1.25G/1×32)180EPON (1×16)EPON (1×32 w FEC)160140VDSL2 (30 MHz)VDSL (12 MHz)ADSL2+ (2.2 MHz)120ADSL100806040200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Prem<strong>is</strong>es Reach (km)Note: W<strong>it</strong>h radio frequency (w RF); w<strong>it</strong>h forward error correction (w FEC)Figure 4. D<strong>is</strong>tance-b<strong>and</strong>width lim<strong>it</strong>ations for various broadb<strong>and</strong> transport technologies20 kmas well as CATV operators, thus explainingthe fierce compet<strong>it</strong>ion. The continuous housingdevelopment (also called Greenfield) alsoensures a permanent growth for operators.Figure 5(a) illustrates typical successful broadb<strong>and</strong>subscription cond<strong>it</strong>ions for the operatorsin North America.However, European culture presentsanother context, where dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>is</strong> not necessarilyas strong as in North America (seeFigure 5(b)). Again, the s<strong>it</strong>uation <strong>is</strong> qu<strong>it</strong>e differentin the Asia-Pacific region, telecommunicationsconsumption (not always broadb<strong>and</strong>)<strong>is</strong> massive due to the dense populationmostly living in multidwelling un<strong>it</strong>s (MDUs)(see Figure 5(c)).Figure 6 illustrates a typical networktopology for a FTTP-related MDU usinghybrid PON-xDSL arch<strong>it</strong>ecture.Th<strong>is</strong> variety of cond<strong>it</strong>ions for broadb<strong>and</strong>consumption offers some potential for <strong>FTTx</strong>,especially FTTC, FTTP <strong>and</strong> FTTH but noteverywhere. Fiber still remains costly toWealthy Middle-Class NeighborhoodIndividually Owned Expensive House W<strong>it</strong>h:Many TV Sets (At Least One HDTV Set)Many PCs w<strong>it</strong>h HS Internet ConnectionsA Phone EverywhereLarge Telecommunication Consumption(a) S<strong>it</strong>uation in North AmericaMDUs EverywhereTV Sets, PCs, Mobiles EverywhereMostly MDUs in C<strong>it</strong>iesTendency to Go Outside <strong>and</strong> in CafesIndividually Owned or Rented Apartment W<strong>it</strong>h:Roughly One TV SetRoughly One PC w<strong>it</strong>h SS Internet ConnectionOne Phone or Even Only a MobileWeak Telecommunication Consumption(b) S<strong>it</strong>uation in Europe (EU)HDTV in Rich NeighborhoodsHuge Telecommunication Consumption300 M+ Internet Subscribers inChina Only <strong>and</strong> Growing(c) S<strong>it</strong>uation in the Asia-Pacific regionFigure 5. Typical subscription cond<strong>it</strong>ions for the operators in various continents8 IEEE LEOS NEWSLETTER April 2008
IEEE MemberDig<strong>it</strong>al LibraryEasy. Effi cient.Powerful. Essential.Staying current inmy work <strong>and</strong> personalinterest areas <strong>is</strong> botheasy <strong>and</strong> affordablew<strong>it</strong>h the IEEE MemberDig<strong>it</strong>al Library.– Wolfgang KrausIEEE MemberD<strong>is</strong>cover how IEEE information can helpfuel your imagination <strong>and</strong> equip you w<strong>it</strong>hthe research you need to compete.Access to all IEEE journals <strong>and</strong>conference proceedings—over1.7 million documentsThe most affordable access,exclusively for IEEE members—under US$2 per articleOnline filing cabinet for convenientaccess to your past research<strong>What</strong> are you wa<strong>it</strong>ing for?BUY NOW.www.ieee.org/ieeemdlIEEE Information Driving Innovation08-PIM-0007-1c-MDL-Kraus-Final.indd 13/21/08 3:26:01 PM
CentralOfficeOLTFTTP PON≤ 20 km of Fiber (One Fiber Only, P2MP)Fiber CopperFigure 7. Example of installation of buried fiber-optic cabledeploy, especially if condu<strong>it</strong> infrastructures must be installed inthe access network, up to the home. For example, in a Greenfielddeployment, FTTH becomes very expensive project, as more than60% of the entire project cost must be allocated to diggingtrenches in order to install the fiber-optic cable (see Figure 7) <strong>and</strong>other infrastructure elements (cabinets, splice enclosures, etc.).In such cases, the North American FTTH model <strong>and</strong> the Asia-Pacific MDU-based FTTP model would tend to offer sufficientreturn-on-investment (ROI) for the telecom companies. In Europe,however, because of the typically short d<strong>is</strong>tances between prem<strong>is</strong>es,the classical FTTC <strong>and</strong> the MDU-based FTTP models would offerthe same relative advantage.Regardless of the specific country <strong>and</strong> context, a set of five maincond<strong>it</strong>ions can be defined to ensure successful FTTP or FTTHdeployment:1. Growing telecom market2. Favorable government policies/regulations3. Educated middle class, interested in using technologies4. Optical fiber used as marketing incentive5. HDTV≤ 300 m Condu<strong>it</strong>Multi-Dwelling Un<strong>it</strong>DSL Modem+ STBDSL Modem+ STBDSL Modem+ STBOONTVDSL2EFigure 6. Typical FTTP topology for MDUs w<strong>it</strong>h hybrid PON <strong>and</strong> DSL arch<strong>it</strong>ectureThe first two cond<strong>it</strong>ions are a must, as in a recession context,there <strong>is</strong> not much chance to see many new developments or governmentincentives in areas perceived to beexpensive. The next two cond<strong>it</strong>ions implythat dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> subscriptions for highb<strong>and</strong>widthbroadb<strong>and</strong> services will soar ifthe country’s middle class <strong>is</strong> highly educated,<strong>and</strong> maybe even wealthy <strong>and</strong> interestedin the technology <strong>it</strong>self. Th<strong>is</strong> renders fiberoptics, as a medium, very appealing to theuser, as they recognize how th<strong>is</strong> technologycan provide entertainment <strong>and</strong> improvetheir qual<strong>it</strong>y of life. In that context, FTTP<strong>and</strong> FTTH developers would use fiberbasedservice access in their advert<strong>is</strong>ements<strong>and</strong> promotional material. The last cond<strong>it</strong>ion<strong>is</strong> one of the most important as <strong>it</strong>drives the substantial growth for b<strong>and</strong>widthdem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong>, consequently, providesthe most impressive <strong>and</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ual use ofbroadb<strong>and</strong> access.It would certainly be interesting to verifyif such cond<strong>it</strong>ions could apply to the <strong>FTTx</strong>market s<strong>it</strong>uation around the world as of 2007.Figure 8 below provides a good overall indicator of market tendencies,although the numbers provided in the figures are approximate.Until now, practically all TV channels have <strong>been</strong> transm<strong>it</strong>tedusing analog RF, even for service providers that were early adoptersof FTTH <strong>and</strong> offering video services together w<strong>it</strong>h BPON (seeFigure 9).However, the prospect of transporting video using theInternet protocol (IPTV) <strong>is</strong> an interesting alternative to RF videow<strong>it</strong>h some major benef<strong>it</strong>s such as using the same wavelengths inboth downstream <strong>and</strong> upstream directions, w<strong>it</strong>hout the need foran EDFA, as shown in Figure 10. Once full dig<strong>it</strong>al telecommunicationtransm<strong>is</strong>sions become m<strong>and</strong>atory worldwide, IPTV willopen up the opportun<strong>it</strong>y for video production in small officehome office (SOHO) <strong>and</strong> video transport in both directions. Th<strong>is</strong>may then generate new business opportun<strong>it</strong>ies <strong>and</strong> new add<strong>it</strong>ionalb<strong>and</strong>width requirements. As a “killer telecommunicationapplication” may be defined as a high-speed upstream applicationrequiring even more returned b<strong>and</strong>width downstream, full dig<strong>it</strong>altransport <strong>and</strong> IPTV may then enable such applications <strong>and</strong>bring about the opportun<strong>it</strong>y that everyone in telecom business <strong>is</strong>wa<strong>it</strong>ing for.In 2007, there were approximately 10 million IPTV subscribersworldwide, <strong>and</strong> the growth rate seems to be constant.Th<strong>is</strong> may be taken as an indication that much more IPTVbusiness <strong>is</strong> yet to come.In conclusion, there still remain other interesting questionsthat can be posed as to what the future holds for broadb<strong>and</strong><strong>and</strong> <strong>FTTx</strong>. Will IEEE802.16e WiMAX (worldwideinteroperabil<strong>it</strong>y for microwave access) wireless transport everbecome a serious alternative to deliver triple-play communications—especiallyHDTV? Will <strong>it</strong> become part of the globaltelecommunication transport solution? Will wirelessbecome the communication technology of choice insidehomes in the future? Only time will tell w<strong>it</strong>h certainty, butwe can prepare ourselves w<strong>it</strong>h solid solutions that will serveour purposes for the foreseeable future.10 IEEE LEOS NEWSLETTER April 200830–40 Mb + (3-Play)
CountryUSACanadaChileColombiaArgentinaBrazilOperatorVerizon (BPON); AT&T (GPON)Bell; Telus (Both GPON)TelefonicaEmbratelNumber ofSubscribers~6 M(EssentiallyUS)~0.3 MCountryJapanSouthKoreaOperatorNTT, KDDI, USEN, TEPCO, YahooSoftBankKTSingapore SingtelChinaChina Netcom (EPON), Beijing Netcom(BPON), China Telecom (EPON/GPON),China Mobile (GPON)Hong Kong PCCW, NOW (~0.7 M Active EthernetSubscr.)Taiwan Chunghwa Telecom (GPON)Number ofSubscribers~7 M (EPON)~4 M (BPON,EPON)~5 MTotalMostly BPON (Verizon); a Few GPON~7–8 MTotalMostly EPON (Few BPON <strong>and</strong> GPON)~16–20 M(a) Projects in the Americas(b) Projects in EuropeCountrySwedenItalyNetherl<strong>and</strong>sFranceUKNumber ofOperatorSubscribersBredb<strong>and</strong>s Bolaget (Active Ethernet), MälarenergiStadsnät AB (Active Ethernet), Koping Kabel-TV(GPON), Stadsnäts (Network Association, 200 C<strong>it</strong>ies) ~0.5 MTelecom Italia (GPON), Fastweb (Active Ethernet)C<strong>it</strong>ynet, Portaal, KPN, ETNL, Dansk Bredba<strong>and</strong>,Volker Stevin Telecom, Kenn<strong>is</strong>wijk (All Act. Ethernet)FT Group-Orange (GPON) <strong>and</strong> Eren<strong>is</strong>, PAU<strong>Broadb<strong>and</strong></strong> Country & Free (All Active Ethernet)BT (GPON)~0.5 M~0.6 MDenmarkSydfyns Elforsyning (GPON), Trefor, Energimidt(Active Ethernet)~0.4 MTotal Mostly Active Ethernet; a Few GPON ~2 M(c) Projects in AsiaCountryAustraliaNewZeal<strong>and</strong>Pak<strong>is</strong>tanRussiaKuwa<strong>it</strong>Un<strong>it</strong>ed ArabEmiratesTotalTelstraTelecomNayatelOperatorCenter TelecomKuwa<strong>it</strong> TelecomEt<strong>is</strong>alat; Dubai Internet C<strong>it</strong>yMostly GPON; a Few EPON(d) Projects in the rest of the worldNumber ofSubscribers~2 M~2 MFigure 8. PON <strong>and</strong> active Ethernet <strong>FTTx</strong> worldwide projects in 2007 (~30M total subscribers)April 2008 IEEE LEOS NEWSLETTER 11
COOLTFiber Management SystemService Interfaces1490 nm TxVoice/Data1310 nm RxVideo EDFA1550 nm TxFeeder Cable (F1)Feeder FiberPrem<strong>is</strong>esSpl<strong>it</strong>terFiberD<strong>is</strong>tributionHub (FDH)D<strong>is</strong>tributionCable (F2)DropCabinetDropCable(F3)When Only F2 <strong>is</strong>Used (No F3)ONU/ONT1490 nm RxVoice/Data1310 nm TxVideo1550 nm RxBatteryBackupUser NetworkInterfacesNote: Transm<strong>it</strong>ter (Tx); receiver (Rx); erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA)Figure 9. FTTP PON arch<strong>it</strong>ecture w<strong>it</strong>h analog RF video overlayServiceInterfacesCOOLTVoice/Data/Video1490 nm Tx1310 nm RxFiber Management SystemFeeder Cable (F1)Feeder FiberPrem<strong>is</strong>esSpl<strong>it</strong>terFiberD<strong>is</strong>tributionHub (FDH)D<strong>is</strong>tributionCable (F2)DropCabinetDropCable(F3)When Only F2 <strong>is</strong>Used (No F3)ONU/ONT1490 nm Rx1310 nm TxBatteryBackupUser NetworkInterfacesFigure 10. FTTP PON arch<strong>it</strong>ecture favoring IPTV transport12 IEEE LEOS NEWSLETTER April 2008