Implementing Next-Generation PON
Technologies over Existing Optical
Fiber Infrastructure
48 I ICT TODAY
Keeping up with bandwidth requirements has become a full-time job for
network managers. While 1 gigabit per second (Gb/s) seemed like plenty
of speed just a few years ago, increasingly enterprises are looking at 10 Gb/s
and even beyond to support the use of streaming video content, video
conferencing, and cloud-based services into the LAN. The choice is no
longer between copper or optical fiber-based networks, but rather which
type of fiber-based network to deploy to ensure that network requirements
are covered today and can be easily expanded to meet future requirements.
One of the options, especially for new installations, is the use of Passive
Optical LAN (POL) technology. POL is an adaptation of the gigabit-capable
passive optical networks (GPON) used in fiber-to-the-home deployments
for the LAN environment. POL offers several advantages for enterprise LANs:
simplicity in design; less equipment and cabling; centralized management;
lower energy requirements; ease of testing; and future-proofing. As POL
becomes more prevalent in the enterprise, it is important for ICT design
engineers, installers, and project managers to grasp an overview of POL
and how this technology can be upgraded and tested.
By Guillaume Lavallee,
Steven Van Den Bergh,
and Cemil Canturk