New York-based business ISP Pilot has deployed ADVA’s (FSE: ADV) ADVA ALM fiber monitoring platform on its access networks in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. ADVA partner M2 Optics implemented the deploy and provided network design expertise to enable Pilot to use the fiber monitoring technology to quickly locate fiber plant faults and remedy them, says ADVA.
"This deployment is key to our mission of ensuring zero downtime for our customers. With the ADVA ALM, our crews can respond to all fiber issues with agility and pinpoint accuracy. In many cases, we'll have identified the issue before customers are even aware there's a problem," said Rob Walker, director, R&D, Pilot. "The impact of the new technology goes even further than boosting efficiency and availability. It also enables us to bring new locations on-net faster, while characterizing the baseline network path so that we can constantly evaluate and remediate any anomalies. The ADVA ALM maximizes the potential of our networks, empowering us to solve problems quicker and bring products to market faster for a crucial competitive advantage."
Pilot provides dedicated internet access, Ethernet transport, and IP transport services to business customers in a variety of fields. The ISP initially deployed the ADVA ALM fiber monitoring platform in New York, where the company first began operations. It is now rolling out ALM in its newer Philadelphia and Washington, DC, footprints. This includes the monitoring of next-generation GPON infrastructure, says ADVA.
ADVA first announced the in-service monitoring system in 2014, then relaunched it in 2016 with enhanced capabilities (see “ADVA offers access link monitoring for dark fiber networks” and “ADVA Optical Networking updates ALM fiber monitoring platform”). At the central office or headend, the ALM device injects a probe signal at 1625 nm into the fiber via a WDM coupler, said an ADVA source in 2016. The signal travels to the customer premises or other endpoint and is reflected back toward the origin point via a demarcation point device small enough to be integrated into a patch cable. Since it operates at 1625 nm, the probe signal does not interfere with traffic on the line.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.
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