OFS and Transmode first to demonstrate commercial CWDM fiber access system with BPON
4 June 2003 Atlanta Lightwave--Fiber manufacturer OFS and CWDM equipment supplier Transmode Systems AB demonstrated a 1400-nm band CWDM system overlaid on a broadband passive optical network (BPON), operating over OFS's AllWave zero water peak fiber. at SuperComm 2003 held in Atlanta this week.
This fiber-to-the-x (FTTX) network architecture combines a BPON and CWDM E-band network to deliver enhanced video and data services to the subscriber. The result is an access network that can deliver BPON-based services to some customers, and premium wavelength services via E-band transmission to others, all on the same network. AllWave zero water peak fiber is a key component of OFS' Access Advantage cabling system, which enables FTTX networks.
The CWDM fiber access system with BPON is operating live over an Access Advantage cabling system 20-km long, with a typical configuration of splices, connectors, and a 1x16 splitter. An optical line terminal (OLT) transmits streaming MPEG videos at 1490-nm over fiber to optical network terminals (ONTs) in two different booth locations. Each location receives the video through the ONT and displays it on demand. In addition, one ONT transmits video at 1310-nm back to the PC located at the OLT to demonstrate the capability of peer-to-peer video networking. The CWDM video services are overlaid on the same AllWave fiber by Transmode CWDM transmission equipment and E-band add/drop multiplexers, adding DVD video transmission at 1390 nm from the Hitachi booth to the OFS booth, and PC camera live video at 1370 and 1410 nm from the OFS to the Hitachi booth. All 5 wavelengths supporting the BPON plus CWDM network operate on a single fiber for the full 20-km distance.
The cabling system is a passive optical access solution that supports all FTTX architectures, including standards and non-standards based PON and point-to-point implementations.
AllWave fiber is the singlemode fiber provided in the cabling system. By completely eliminating the water peak defect, the fiber has the industry's only zero water peak designation, according to OFS, opening the E-band (1360 ¿ 1480 nm) for services such as secure high-speed business data, HDTV broadcast, instant HDTV video-on-demand, and high-resolution Internet video games. E-band CWDM over AllWave fiber helps to lower system costs by reducing laser, packaging, and filter costs, compared to a DWDM alternative operating over standard singlemode fiber. The Access Advantage System also integrates right-of-way optimized and installer friendly cables, the LC connector, and splitters and closures, all engineered to work together to provide maximum cost-effective optical access performance.