JUNE 11, 2008 -- ADC (search for ADC) has expanded its PONy Express access transport platform with a new WDM-PON application. In this application, the PONy (Passive Optical Network over wavelengths) Express is combined with a WDM-PON plug-and-play splitter in a fiber distribution cabinet to provide an upgrade from GPON to WDM-PON with minimal service impact.
"Service providers worldwide are deploying PON, including GPON, to provide the bandwidth that consumers and enterprises demand," said Jon Norton, vice president of network solutions for ADC. "However, GPON can't meet long-term bandwidth requirements, and WDM-PON provides a future-proof solution because its initial per-subscriber capacity of 100 Mbits/sec is more than enough to support the most bandwidth-intensive applications and services."
Combined with the PONy Express, WDM-PON uses an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) to multiplex and demultiplex wavelengths between the feeder fiber and the distribution fibers instead of a traditional planar lightwave circuit (PLC) splitter. In a WDM-PON system that uses "colorless" optics, the AWG also is responsible for spectrally slicing a seed light, generally provided from the OLT, into the individual wavelengths that are passed to the ONTs. The AWG can be packaged in the same form factor as existing PLC splitters, enabling service providers to insert a module into an existing GPON fiber distribution cabinet to support WDM-PON.
As a result, service providers can choose to offer residential services via GPON and commercial services via WDM-PON. As their residential customers demand more bandwidth, service providers can move the distribution fiber from the PLC splitter to the AWG and provide up to 1 Gbits/sec without service disruption to the GPON, ADC says.
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