Verizon Business deploys passive optical LAN fiber-to-the-desktop technology

NOVEMBER 19, 2010 -- Verizon Business says it has leveraged GPON-based passive optical local area network (LAN) technology to bring fiber to the desktops at Russell Investments’ new global headquarters. The passive optical LAN technology enables high-speed voice, data, and video applications while reducing energy consumption, Verizon says.

Russell Investments is a global financial services firm that serves institutional investors, financial advisers, and individuals in more than 40 countries. In the Russell Investments Center, the company's new headquarters, Verizon Business is deploying the optical network with equipment from Motorola that can expand network capacity to 25 Tbps. The new network will support the sharing of large files and imaging as well as streaming video and other files to support faster real-time collaboration.

Verizon says Russell’s goals for the network include a reduction in power consumption to its global trading floor while supporting laptops, printers, and wireless access points as well as applications such as voice over IP, video conferencing, and security cameras.

Passive optical LAN technology leverages a PON architecture similar to fiber to the home (FTTH) applications. A single OLT can serve multiple buildings on a campus and multiple floors within a single building via passive splitters. Replacing active switches in telecom closets with passive splitters reduces power consumption, while the use of fiber instead of copper increases bandwidth capacity. (For more on passive optical LANs, watch the video "PON as a LAN technology" on the Lightwave Channel.)

Compared with a traditional switch-based Ethernet, the passive optical LAN approach can significantly reduce power consumption; decrease space requirements in riser closets, data rooms, and conduits; and control capital costs related to network elements, Verizon asserts. In addition, the fiber technology has a long life, helping Russell easily prepare for future infrastructure upgrades as technological needs evolve.

"We opted for this new fiber-optic technology because it provides green benefits, and it's secure, scalable, and can meet the needs of our future growth," said Gopi Chelliah, global head of technology and operations with Russell Investments. "Rather than opt for copper or other multimode cables, we took the step of deploying fiber directly to the desktop to improve network efficiencies while enhancing network capacity and controlling costs."

In addition to the new networking infrastructure, Verizon Business connects Russell's offices globally with a managed private IP network service based on MPLS.

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