Ciena and Cisco both exhibited numerous PON-related products at the show, showcasing their pluggable XGS-PON OLTs. These products allow existing router users to add a PON network simply by deploying the ODN, plugging in the XGS-PON OLT to an available router port, and installing the appropriate software. Hence an operator can support a PON network, mobile fronthaul, and SME Ethernet services from the same router.

While the bulk of U.S. and European broadband providers are now deploying 10G XGS-PON for Fiber-to-the-Home, the next generation of PON equipment is nearing commercial availability. Nokia, DZS, and Ciena addressed the 25G vs. 50G next generation PON question during the conference, but surprisingly Adtran and Calix did not.

Several different presentations and panels at the show focused on the satisfaction of operator’s internet customers, and a common theme was that satisfaction was often being determined by the Wi-Fi signal in the customers’ home. It was not surprising that FutureWei’s Frank Effenberger pitched the advantages of Fiber-to-the-Room, which is being championed by Huawei and widely deployed (with 10s of millions of users) in China today, as a solution to Wi-Fi performance issues. Putting multiple Wi-Fi access points in an apartment, connecting them with fiber, and coordinating signals can reduce latency and minimize interference issues. Other vendors at the show that we talked to were not enamored of FTTR however, saying “customers are not asking for it”, “there are other easier solutions, like Wi-Fi mesh networks”, and “putting fiber cable in consumers’ homes will be a nightmare”.

The U.S. government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program was created in November 2021, with the passage of President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The BEAD program will provide more than $42.5 billion to assist broadband providers in deploying last-mile access networks in the U.S. The program addresses a couple of shortcomings of early broadband programs, namely, 1) the money must be spent on last-mile connectivity, not interconnecting cities with regional fiber networks, and 2) a portion of it is targeted at traditionally under-served areas, specifically low-income and native or minority communities, addressing the digital divide.

It was clear in talking with numerous vendors at the conference that they are all focused on the BEAD spending rollout and hoping to capture their fair share. We also heard numerous people suggest that a shortage of skilled technicians could impact the speed of the deployment. We also confirmed at the tradeshow that vendors have taken steps to ensure compliance with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act.

LightCounting analysts John Lively and Stelyana Baleva have published a research note reporting on what they saw there, including how 25G, 50G, and 100G PON are getting closer to deployment, how the U.S. government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding will roll out, and some barriers that may slow deployments.