GPON

Open Fiber’s FTTH access network is built according to the PON (Passive Optical Network) standard, respecting its evolutionary roadmap to guarantee the best connection ever.
Open Fiber’s network infrastructure uses GPON fixed access technology, the most robust on PON networks to date. GPON technology has recently seen the addition of more advanced technologies: XGS PON (a fibre-optic link that can transmit and receive data at a maximum speed of 10 Gbit/s) and the subsequent NG-PON evolution (a telecommunications network standard capable of reaching a total surfing speed of 40 Gbit/s) to achieve higher performance in terms of transmission capacity.

Comparing PON and AON technology

Passive Optical Network (PON) technology enables the creation of fibre-optic FTTH network infrastructure in point-to-multipoint mode, using only fibre and passive components, such as optical splitters and couplers, which, installed along the entire transmission route, do not need to be powered by the electricity grid. The need for direct supply is therefore limited to the exchange/POP level. These aspects are one of the major advantages of the technology, reducing costs and the possibility of failure, in contrast to copper networks.

As an alternative to the passive optical network, an end-user connection can be made using an Active Optical Network (AON). This configuration involves point-to-point architecture, i.e. Featuring dedicated fibre with the use of active equipment (switches, routers). Although the Active Optical Network system is mature and functioning, the resulting implementation cost is higher than that of the passive optical network (PON).

Open Fiber’s architecture

Open Fiber’s FTTH access network is a passive multi-operator network that supports the use of ‘point-to-multipoint’ and ‘point-to-point’ technologies.

Open Fiber’s ‘point-to-multipoint’ architecture is based on the creation of a network in which the optical concentration resources (PON trees) are shared by the different actors, while the final connection to the user is created with a single dedicated fibre.

To enable the efficient gathering of users, a network element was introduced, consisting of a permutation box (coinciding with the PFS node), which allows each customer to be flexibly connected to the optical resources of the Operator with which they have subscribed to the service.

GPON Open Fiber architecture

Future-proof technology

The evolutionary trajectory of PON optical access network technologies envisages a progressive increase in the available bandwidth per customer.

The evolution of GPON technology is a key development for the telecommunications industry. Open Fiber’s FTTH access network can support it, enabling a range of new services with increasingly stringent bandwidth requirements.

The services provided on the PON network are aimed at residential and business users with connectivity services in symmetric and asymmetric configurations. With the evolution of PON technology, high-capacity backhauling and fronthauling links for advanced mobile radio systems will also be supported.

The technologies envisaged in the PON network evolution roadmap are as follows:

● GPON (2.5 Gbps/1.25 Gbps)

● XG-PON (10 Gbps/2.5 Gbps)

● XGS-PON (10 Gbps/10 Gbps)

● NG-PON2 (min 4×10 Gbps/2.5 Gbps)

The maximum downstream and upstream speeds are indicated in brackets.

A modern transport network

Open Fiber is developing modern national transport infrastructure that will collect traffic from the FTTH access network and deliver it to operators, ensuring equal access and service conditions regardless of the point of delivery, whether local or remote.

In this sense, the network enables the provision of a comprehensive portfolio of services to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse market, from end-to-end connectivity with guaranteed bandwidth and controlled latency to the future provision of a network and computing infrastructure to host third-party physical and virtual functions; all aimed at enhancing customers’ Quality of Experience, supporting the delivery of high-resolution video content, offering security solutions and platforms for Internet of Things (IoT).

Open Fiber has a transport network with open, carrier-grade architecture, which is programmable, high-performance and scalable in capacity, enabling Operators to deliver innovative ultra-broadband services, simplifying configuration and management tasks.

For the configuration and management of transport services, Open Fiber uses innovative Network Automation techniques that implement automated workflows, which take the work order from the CRM and activate it in the network, speeding up the time for the release of new services and reducing the possibility of errors, thereby improving the Quality of Experience perceived by customers.

Open Fiber’s Transport Network consists of just two levels:

● a national core or backbone network

● an aggregation network (primary and secondary)

The design of the national backbone is based on two domains: an optical domain (OTN/WDM) to handle transmission with the most efficient and least costly techniques and an electrical domain (IP/MPLS) for processing and routing packet traffic. It ensures optimal utilisation of valuable transmission resources, quality of service implemented across the entire chain, flexibility and process automation to quickly deliver traditional and innovative services.

National PoPs are distributed in a way that ensures full coverage of the entire country and features very high-capacity optical links (coherent 100/200G lambda).

The backbone network is created using an intelligent, high-capacity, scalable DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) EON (Elastic Optical Network). ROADM-FLEX (Reconfigurable Optical Add and Drop Multiplexer) multi-degree and GMPLS/WSON (CD – Colourless, Directionless) technologies are used, with which several optical channels can be simultaneously aggregated on a single fibre and therefore handle more and more customers and services, making it possible to fully utilise the very high transmission bandwidth of the fibre, in the Terabit range (1,000,000 Megabits). This capacity, which was unimaginable until a few years ago, will support the ultra-broadband applications that will be developed in the coming years (high-resolution video, virtual reality, augmented reality, haptic Internet, real-time gaming, autonomous driving) and in general the innovative services of future 5G networks. The aggregation network, formed of Edge’s PoPs and with high-capacity optical links, offers Layer 2 functionality as well as MPLS protocol support where necessary, to deliver the wholesale services required by Operators.