On-the-field performance of quintuple-play long-reach OFDM-based WDM-PON optical access networks

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Optical Networks
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Passive Optical Networks (PON) are crucial for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments.
• Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) offers robust signal transmission for diverse services.
• Real-world network performance evaluation is essential for validating new technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the on-the-field performance of a WDM-PON system utilizing OFDM modulation.
• To evaluate the coexistence of multiple quintuple-play services within a single user's bandwidth.
• To determine the maximum reach and reliability of the system in a live FTTH network.

Main Methods:

• Field deployment and testing of a WDM-PON system in a Bratislava FTTH network.
• Transmission of a bundle of quintuple-play services including LTE, WiMAX, UWB, DVB-T, and OFDM-GbE signals.
• Evaluation of both downstream and upstream transmission performance across various optical link distances.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful coexistence of multiple full-standard OFDM signals and an ad-hoc OFDM-GbE signal per user.
• Achieved a long-reach transmission exceeding 60.8 km in standard single-mode fiber.
• Validated the on-the-field performance of the WDM-PON system for delivering quintuple-play services.

Conclusions:

• The evaluated WDM-PON system effectively supports quintuple-play services using OFDM modulation in a real-world FTTH network.
• The system's ability to achieve over 60.8 km reach highlights its potential for extended coverage and high-capacity data delivery.
• This technology presents a viable solution for future high-demand optical access networks.