50G PON – IEEE ComSoc Technology Blog

Highlights of FiberConnect 2024: PON-related products dominate

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Alan Weissberger

The Fiber Broadband Association’s flagship conference, FiberConnect 2024, concluded July 31, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. It featuring 275 speakers and 286 exhibitors in the Expo Hall, with about half the attendees from operators and half representing vendors. The show provided a great opportunity to gauge the pulse of the fiber based broadband industry in North America.

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.

References:

https://www.lightcounting.com/research-note/august-2024-fiber-broadband-industry-innovation-and-anticipation-on-display-at-fiberconnect-2024-361

https://fiberconnect2024.eventscribe.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=D1jfvuh_GkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YqcGJirxYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpR_IbZwYc0

HKT is first to deploy 50G PON technology in Hong Kong

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Alan Weissberger

HKT [1.] has become the first telecommunication service provider in Hong Kong to adopt the latest 50G PON technology, as the telco prepares to ramp up the delivery of applications that require ultra-high-speed broadband Internet connections for both home and commercial customers.

Note 1. HKT Limited is a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability.

50G fiber based broadband offers a significant step up in speed, with a specification download speed of up to 50Gbps. Paired with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, the remarkable increase in bandwidth supports smooth simultaneous multi-device connectivity of all kinds for users both at home and in a commercial setting. Latency also improves by a substantial 27% on average compared to that of a 10G fiber network. [The above latency is only applicable to designated servers. Network latency in other areas will vary depending on the operational load of individual servers as well as network traffic.]

Bruce Lam, CEO, Consumer, HKT, said, “NETVIGATOR has always been at the forefront of the market. We are delighted to become the first telecommunication service provider in Hong Kong to adopt 50G PON technology. With the development of smart homes, demand for high-speed multi-device connections has been increasing to cater for activities such as 8K video streaming, large video file transfer and sharing at home, online gaming and even real-time financial market monitoring and trading. We will continue to explore cutting-edge technologies to meet our customers’ future connectivity needs.”

Steve Ng, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT, said, “HKT Enterprise Solutions has consistently provided diverse digital solutions for our commercial customers. As AI and cloud applications become ubiquitous, enterprise customers’ demand for bandwidth, speed and low latency have continued to elevate.

For example, employees need to use cloud services, collaboration tools, and AI solutions within the office environment. Schools are actively implementing e-learning and remote teaching. Large-scale events such as exhibitions and concerts generate high demands for live streaming or AR/VR experience solutions. Through this latest technology, we are preparing ourselves for the network needs of different customers.”

By applying the innovative 50G PON technology HKT is able to further enhance the performance of its existing fiber network with ease. Currently, HKT’s 10G fiber broadband network covers over 2.4 million households across 50,000 residential buildings, as well as 8,000 commercial buildings in Hong Kong.

About HKT:

HKT is a technology, media, and telecommunication leader with more than 150 years of history in Hong Kong. As the city’s true 5G provider, HKT connects businesses and people locally and globally.

Our end-to-end enterprise solutions make us a market leading digital transformation partner of choice for businesses, whereas our comprehensive connectivity and smart living offerings enrich people’s lives and cater for their diverse needs for work, entertainment, education, well-being, and even a sustainable low-carbon lifestyle. Together with our digital ventures which support digital economy development and help connect Hong Kong to the world as an international financial centre, HKT endeavours to contribute to smart city development and help our community tech forward.

For more information, please visit www.hkt.com.

References:

https://www.pccw.com/assets/Common/files/press-release/2024/Mar/HKT_50G%20Press%20Release%20%5bEng%5d.pdf

Ooredoo Qatar is first operator in the world to deploy 50G PON

Türk Telekom and ZTE trial 50G PON, but commercial deployment is not imminent

Dell’Oro: XGS, 25G, and Early 50G PON Rollouts to Fuel Broadband Spending

Ooredoo Qatar is first operator in the world to deploy 50G PON

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Alan Weissberger

Ooredoo Qatar announced that it has become the first operator in the world to deploy 50G PON (Passive Optical Network) connectivity, the 50 Gbps-capable fiber-based access connection for consumers. According to Ooredoo, the 50G PON technology, which has been adopted as an ITU standard, delivers fiber-based access connections with speeds of up to 50 Gbps on a single connection.

The 50G-PON system capitalizes on fundamental advances in the optical transceiver components working in conjunction with enhanced error correction and coding. It also introduces key innovations in activation procedures, contention-based operation, and expanded cryptographic features. With these improved capabilities, the 50G-PON system is ready to meet the new, and demanding, requirements of emerging services.

This new technology enables consumers to use high-bandwidth latency-sensitive applications such as 8k-interactive video applications, online collaboration and coordination solutions, 3D cloud design, high-graphic/high-quality AI applications, etc.

Dell’Oro Group believes total 50G-PON equipment revenue will increase from less than $3M in 2023 to $1.5B in 2027. Much more significant growth is expected after 2027, as operators begin to evolve their 10Gbps PON networks to next-generation technologies.

Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We’re proud to be the first operator globally capable of deploying such powerful technology, which aligns perfectly with our overarching aim of upgrading our customers’ worlds. We have long had a strategic commitment to partnering with global leaders in technology and innovation, enabling us to leverage both our expertise and experience and our partners’ capabilities. This latest launch is an excellent example of the benefits we, and our customers, enjoy as a result of such partnerships. We look forward to further enhancing our offering as technology develops ever further in the years to come.”

Ooredoo’s 50G PON technology can meet the bandwidth requirements of both consumers and enterprises. Initial deployment will be for B2B customers and areas that require high-speed connectivity, with roll-out to consumers – for 8k content and AR/VR gaming, as an example – to follow.

ITU-T standards for 50G PON:

In April 2021, the ITU-T reached a major mile-stone, consenting the first three Recommendations defining a 50G PON system:

General Requirements (G.9804.1): The legacy features linked to deployed fiber infra-structure are complemented by support for new services requiring high capacity, efficiency, low latency, and security. Coexistence with, and migration from, the installed PON systems are essential.
Common Transmission Convergence Layer (ComTC) specification (G.9804.2): This is defined in a line rate agnostic way and thus applicable to future single-wavelength time-division multiplexing (TDM) and multi-wavelength time-and-wavelength-divi-sion multiplexing (TWDM) PON systems.
The single-wavelength 50G-PON PMD (G.9804.3) specification is the first in the HS-PON PMD family.

References:

https://www.ooredoo.qa/web/en/press-release/a-global-first-ooredoo-upgrades-speeds-to-up-to-50gbps-with-cutting-edge-solution/

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9743347