UK cable operator Virgin Media and communications technology provider ARRIS say they have launched a field trial of 10G-EPON in Cambridgeshire. The collaborators say they can supply 8 Gbps downstream to 50 residences using the 10G-EPON technology.
The trial leverages DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoE) enabled 10G-EPON modules installed in an ARRIS E6000 Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). The CMTS, which can reside in a cable system headend or hub, helps supply services to customers over hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) or, in this case, all-fiber networks. ARRIS says it enabled service delivery 12 weeks after initial installation and using Virgin Media’s existing infrastructure. This infrastructure included RF over glass (RFoG) technology, a point-to-point fiber to the premises (FTTP) approach that leverages in-place DOCSIS-enabled network hardware (see "SCTE to develop RF over Glass standards").
Virgin Media brought in SamKnows, the official speed test provider of UK telecom regulatory authority Ofcom, to confirm the download and upload speeds trial participants experience. A results screen visible in a video that describes the trial indicates that the upstream and downstream rates aren’t symmetrical; the typical upstream rate has not been revealed.
In the same video, Ben Thomas, head of broadband and value added services at Virgin Media, says that the service provider does not have plans to roll out such high-speed broadband services in the near future.
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