AT&T says it has completed field trials of XGS-PON technology based on a variety of open source specifications, including several it helped create (see "AT&T plans field trial of open system, cloud-based XGS-PON"). The trials, conducted in Atlanta and Dallas, featured XGS-PON network virtualization based on Open Source Access Manager Hardware Abstraction (OSAM-HA), which apparently is the new name for VOLTHA (see "AT&T releases VOLTHA to ONF for XGS-PON software-defined access").
The field tests included multi-gigabit internet traffic transmission, including delivery of AT&T DIRECTV NOW video. The service provider used a virtualized broadband network gateway function to manage subscribers. The exercise also confirmed that XGS-PON and GPON traffic can be delivered together over the same fiber.
The trial is part of AT&T's efforts to use software defined networking (SDN) and virtualization in its access networks. Use of Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) software is a key enabler. "Our network is constantly evolving. We'll continue to execute our software-based network strategy to technologies like 5G, virtualized RAN, and G.fast over time. Ultimately, instead of deploying islands of technology that have SDN control, we want to orchestrate the entire end-to-end network through ONAP," said Eddy Barker, assistant vice president, Access Architecture and Design, AT&T.
AT&T did not reveal the identities of technology vendors who supported the trial. Calix ("Calix offers AXOS OFx Connector for commercialization of CORD and ONOS"), Edgecore Networks ("Edgecore Networks offers ASXvOLT16 whitebox PON OLT design to Open Compute Project"), and Tibit Communications (an SFP-based micro OLT) have announced technology that could be applicable in this context.
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