Copyright 2008 Telcordia

ITU PON Past, Present, and Future

A Review of ITU-T PON Activities
Telcordia Contact:
Rob Bond
Senior System Engineer
Network Services and Assurance/Access Technology
rbond@telcordia.com
+1 732.699.3445
Prepared For:
FTTH Council Webinar
July 30, 2008
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



2
Overview
Brief Introduction to Passive Optical Networks
(PONs)
History of PON Development
Recent G-PON related activities in the ITU-T
A Look Ahead
Next Generation PON Activities
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



3
Passive Optical Network (PON) System
Characteristics
Fiber Optic Media
All PON systems are based a point-to-multipoint physical topology where
a single feeder fiber from the local exchange office is shared by a group of
subscriber optical terminals (typically 32 or more)
A passive optical splitting device (i.e., power splitter or WDM splitter) is
used to couple the optical signals from the shared feeder fiber to the
individual subscriber (distribution) fibers, and vice-a-versa.
Active Electronics
A single optical transceiver in the exchange is shared by a group of
subscriber optical terminals (typically 32 or more)
For a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) systems, there is generally no active
electronics in the outside plant.
The various PON technologies make use of different multiplexing
techniques to allow shared access to the fiber media
TDM-based PONs and WDM-based PONs are two broad categories
TDM-based PONs are by far the most commonly deployed
The various PON technologies also differ in available digital capacity, how
they dynamically allocate upstream bandwidth to subscribers (for efficient
PON bandwidth utilization), and embedded operations capabilities (just to
mention a few examples)

Copyright 2008 Telcordia



4
TDM PON Example
Downstream TDM transmission with multiple listeners (encryption to insure
privacy)
Upstream TDMA transmission with upstream transmissions (bursts) scheduled
to prevent overlap
PONs are (in some sense) like HFC systems shared medium
Downstream (single - fiber systems): 1490 nm
Upstream: 1310 nm
RF video (if present) 1555 nm



















TD M Time Division Multiplex
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
CC Cross Connect
NB Narrow Band
BB Broadband
OLT Optical Line Termination
ONT Optical Network Termination

TDM
ONT2
ONT32
1:32 Optical sp litter
(or 1:64 for shorter reaches or
with Reach Extender)



OLT
Access
Node
NB
BB
CC
Video

Data
E1/T1/
Telephony


Data
E1/DS1
GbE
STMn/OCn

ONT1
E1/DS1/
Telephony


POTS
VOIP
(and/or)
TDMA
Up to 60 km* physical reach
(* with G.984.6 Reach Extender)
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



5
Example of WDM-PON
Access node
OLT
SNI
wavelength
splitter
1 to N ls on single fiber
Wavelength selection here
dedicated l1 pair
dedicated l2 pair
ONT
Bitrate 1
ONT
Bitrate 2
Feeder Fiber
Colorless ONTs: Transmitter and
Receiver front-end filter characteristics are wavelength
adaptable
Fixed* or
adaptable
optics
power
splitter
TDMA
ONT
(Fixed
Optics)
TDMA
ONT
(Fixed
Optics)
power
splitter
Hybrid WDM-PON
example
* Fixed optics might be a cost reduced
version of convention DWDM long-haul optics
NOTE: Most believe adaptable optics will be
required for a practical WDM-PON system
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



6
Todays PON Systems
TDM-PONs Rule: The vast majority of PON systems
deployed today are TDM-based PON systems (i.e., B-
PON, E-PON, and G-PON)
They almost exclusively operate on a single fiber, with WDM
used to provide bi-directional transmission
A third wavelength in the downstream is sometimes used for
broadcast video services (e.g., Verizon FiOS)
WDM-PON: Very limited deploys, mainly in Korea
Costs of WDM-PON in delivering mass market dedicated
wavelength services are still higher high relative to TDM-PON
WDM and hybrid WDM-PONs are expected to play a greater
role in Next Generation (NG) PON systems (e.g., 5+ years)
than today

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TDM PON Architecture and Technologies
OLT
Fiber B
P
O
N

G
P
O
N

Max 32 way split (may be
cascaded)
OLT implementations may not necessarily support all PON technologies indicated
Typically: 622 Mbps/155 Mbps (down/up)
ATM-based transport
LU #1
LU #N, N 32
Fiber
Max 64 way split [constrained
by PMD attenuation limits]
Typically: 2488/1244 Mbps
GFP-like transports (Ethernet, and/or
TDM)
LU #1
LU #N, N 64
E
P
O
N

Fiber
1250 Mbps/1250 Mbps [~850 Mbps
effective payload rate])
Ethernet-based transport
LU #1
LU #N, N 32
20 km Maximum Reach
20 km ONU differential range
B-PON
G-PON
E-PON
Max 32 way split (16-way
specified in standard)
splitter
splitter
splitter
ITU-T G.983.x
ITU-T G.984.x
1000BASE-PX20
per IEEE 802.3ah
Network optical transceiver (TXR) shared by N subscribers
TXR
TXR
TXR
LU #N, N 32
ONT
ONT
ONT
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



8
G.984.5
published
G.984.1,
G.984.3
G.984.4
Rev2
published
G.984.2
amd2,
G.984.6
published
GPON Specs focused & enhanced: 3Q07-1Q08
x-PON Technology Time Line
1995 2000
FSAN
founded
98
99 02 04 05 06
01
BPON
(ITU G.983.1)
published
BPON
OMCI
(G.983.2)
published
IEEE
EPON
begins
FSAN
begins
GPON
03
BPON
OMCI
(G.983.2)
Revised
GPON
OMCI
(G.984.4)
published
GPON TC
(G.984.3)
published
IEEE
802.3ah
(EPON)
published
1
st
GPON
Interop Event
FSAN
begins
NG-PON
FSAN
GPON
CTS
BPON Completed: April 2000
BPON 1st Interop Event: March 2004
BPON 1
st
wide-scale deployment: May 2004
GPON Completed: June 2004
GPON 1st Interop Event: Jan 2006
GPON 1st wide-scale deployment: 4Q 2007

07
IEEE
begins
10GEPON
08
7
th
GPON
Interop Event
09
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



9
ITU PON
Recent Activities
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



10
Overview of Recent ITU PON Activities
Efforts to focus, clarify, and reduce options
within the recommendations
New Feature and Functions
New Optical Layer Supervision Functionality
G-PON Reach Extension
Enhancement Band Recommendation
ITU G.984
G-PON
Solutions
Fully
Standardize
Service and
Feature Rich
Network
Operator
Friendly
Highly
Interoperable
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



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Focus/Clarification Update Examples
The operational rates focused on 2488/1244
Mbps (down/up), with other rate combinations
depreciated (made obsolete) [G.984.1, G.984.3]
G-PON Protection types (a) and (d) were
deprecated [G.984.1]
New G.984.1 Appendix that [G.984.1]
provides examples of practical G-PON system
architectures, typical services and external interfaces
provides various protocol stack associated with
services and architectures
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



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Focus/Clarification Update Examples (2 of 2)
Clarifications to dynamic bandwidth assignment (DBA)
operation and removal of miscellaneous ambiguities
[G.984.3]
Improved alignment of G-PON specifications with DSL
Forum Ethernet Aggregation Network Architecture
requirements, per TR-101/WT-156 [ongoing G.984.4]
G-PON configuration info in support of TR-101 architectures
Improved G-PON traffic management support (marking,
shaping, policing, drop precedence support, etc)
Clarification and selection of preferred implementations
of G-PON management functions [ongoing G.984.4
Implementers Guide]
For example, preferred G-PON implementations in support of
likely Ethernet flow handling scenarios
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



13
New Features/Functions:
Optical Layer Supervision (OLS)
Additional hooks added to recommendations to utilize
optical transceiver measurement information inherent in
most optical transceiver devices (per SFF-8472 ), plus
misc OLS improvements
New OLS appendix added that describes the measurement and
monitoring optical transceiver related parameters, including
(Temperature, Voltage, Bias Current, TX/RX Power) [G.984.2]
Addition of FEC performance monitoring and fiber distance
estimation techniques [G.984.3, G.984.4]
New management functionality for reporting ONT OLS data
[G.984.4]
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



14
New Features/Functions:
ONU Registration Process Updates
A new Registration ID based process is being specified that allows
an ONT join a PON and be authenticated (i.e., associated with a valid
customer) without requiring the use of the hardware serial number
(SN) of the ONT. [ongoing in G.984.3, G.984.4]
Makes use of the existing ONT password PLOAM message to report a
Registration ID to the OLT.
The Registration ID is associated with a specific customer and is
entered into the ONT (by an unspecified method) by the Telco
equipment installer at the time of ONT installation.
The OLT uses the received Registration ID to validate that the ONT
requesting to join the PON is associated with a valid customer.
This is an alternative to the classic SN-based authentication, which
requires the installer to associate a very specific ONT (one with
service orders specified SN) with a customer installation.
With a Registration-ID approach, the installer only needs to enter the
service orders specified Registration ID into an arbitrarily chosen
ONT.
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



15
New Features/Functions:
Reach Extension (RE)
Class C+ Single Sided Reach Extension [G.984.2]:
New class of OLT optics that supports up to 32 dB of ODN loss
(compared to todays 28 dB, Class B+, systems)
Up to 40 km reach @ 1x32 split
ONT continues to use existing Class B+ optics, but must utilize
FEC.
Mid-Span Reach Extension [G.984.6, G.984.4]
New Recommendation (G.984.6) that specifies a physical layer
reach extension device (Regenerator or Optical Amplifier) in the
fiber link between the OLT and ONT.
The maximum reach is up to 60km
Loss budgets of in excess of 27.5 dB in both spans
New requirements in support of mid-span RE management
[ongoing G.984.4]
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



16
G-PON (Mid-Span) Reach Extension
Motivations: Serving Distant Housing Cluster
Classic application to extend the geographical reach of a Class B+
G-PON system by locating a RE at a remote site, outside the CO
While a Class B+ 20 km reach is good, there are still a significant
number of customers beyond this reach in some Operators networks
As an alternative to a field-located OLT
splitter
ONT
ONT
ONT
1x32
Local Exchange Office
OLT
RE
Remote Site
Class B+ (e.g., 40 km)
Class B+ (e.g., 20 km)
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



17
G-PON (Mid-Span) Reach Extension
Motivations: CO Consolidation
This application may involve both larger reach and larger split ratios,
placing. OLTs in a more centralized location (i.e., deeper in the network)
with the RE placed in the local exchange office where an OLT would
traditionally reside.
splitter
ONT
ONT
ONT
1x32
Hand-off to Communications
Service Providers or LEC Core
network
OLT
1x4
RE
splitter
1x32
splitter
1x32
1x32
Local Exchange Office
Class B+ (e.g., 40 km)
Class B+
Operators hoping for
reductions in CO (1)
powering, (2) real estate,
and (3) maintenance
costs
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



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New Features/Functions:
Enhancement Band
New Recommendation published (G.984.5) that:
Defines wavelength ranges reserved for additional service
signals overlaid via WDM on an operating G-PON system
Effectively specifies the wavelength blocking filter needed on
todays G-PON ONTs to be compatible with (i.e., blind to) next
generation (NG) PON systems overlaid on the same optical
distribution network (ODN) as the G-PON system
Lays the ground work for specifying NG-PON systems that
allow Operators to gradually migrate (i.e., on an individual
customer basis) customers from a working G-PON ONT to a
NG-PON ONT without disrupting existing (non-migrated)
customers
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



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New Features/Functions:
Enhancement Band G.984.5 Wavelength Plan
1260 1280 1300 1320 1340 1360 1380 1400 1420 1460 1480 1500 1520 1540 1560 1580 1600 1620 1640 1660 1440 1680
O-band E-band S-band C-band L-band U-band
G.984.2
Legend:
GPON Up

GPON Dn
RF Overlay Present

Future
* Requires the use of reduce water peak fiber (G.652.C/D)
** the upper-limit value is determined as an operator choice from 1580 to 1625 nm
G.984.5
or
or
NG-PON
Regular (FP)
Reduce (DFB)
Narrow (CWDM)
NG-PON (G.9xx)
A B
NG-PON Option 1 *
C
NG-PON Option 2**
D
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



20
ITU G-PON Specifications
G.984.1, March 2008, Jan 2003, "General
characteristics for Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical
Networks (G-PON)
G.984.2, Jan 2003, Gigabit-capable Passive Optical
Networks (G-PON) : Physical media dependent
(PMD) layer specification, plus Amd. 1, (2/06),
Amd. 2, (3/08)
G.984.3, March 2008, Oct 2003, Gigabit-Capable
Passive Optical Networks (G-PON): Transmission
Convergence Layer
G.984.4, February 2008, April 2004 , Gigabit-
capable Passive Optical Networks (GPON): ONT
Management and Control Interface specification
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



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New Additions - ITU G-PON Specifications
G.984.5, Sept 2007, "Enhancement band for
gigabit capable optical access networks
G.984.6, March 2008, Gigabit-capable
Passive Optical Networks (G-PON): Reach
extension
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ITU PON
What Might the Future Hold?
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NG-PON Directions
ITU-T Study Period 2009-2012:
New study period begins in less than 6 months
It is expected to include work on access systems
that will replace or augment todays G-PON
systems
What are the likely technology directions and
system attributes to be considered?
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



24
NG-PON: Likely Attributes
A number of large network Operators have expressed preliminary
thinking on what they would like to see in a Next Generation (NG)
PON
Coexistence: NG-PON systems need to coexist on the same fiber with
todays giga-bit PON
Allows existing G-PON subscribers to be individually migrated to NG-PON on an
as-needed basis without disrupting other users on the PON
Relies on the deployment of G.984.5 compliant ONTs today and NG-PON
systems using G.984.5 enhancement band wavelengths
Digital Capacity: At a minimum NG-PON systems are generally viewed
as 10 Gbps downstream and 2.5 Gbps upstream, or a system that
overlays multiple G-PON systems on the same ODN.
Loss Budget: At a minimum, NG-PON are expected to operate over
Class C ODNs (30 dB loss). Class C++ (>32 dB) operation with optical
pre/post optical amplification
Split Ratio: At a minimum at 64-way split should be supported, but for
some applications (e.g., office consolidation) a 256-way (or higher) split
may be need (would require optical amplification)
Reach: At a 20 km physical reach is required and at least a 60 km logical
reach (reaches greater than 20 km may require optical amplification)
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



25
Coexistence:
Use of G.984.5 Wavelength Plan
1260 1280 1300 1320 1340 1360 1380 1400 1420 1460 1480 1500 1520 1540 1560 1580 1600 1620 1640 1660 1440 1680
O-band E-band S-band C-band L-band U-band
G.984.2
Legend:
GPON Up

GPON Dn
RF Overlay Present

Future
* Requires the use of reduce water peak fiber (G.652.C/D)
** the upper-limit value is determined as an operator choice from 1580 to 1625 nm
G.984.5
or
or
NG-PON
Regular (FP)
Reduce (DFB)
Narrow (CWDM)
NG-PON (G.9xx)
A B
NG-PON Option 1 *
C
NG-PON Option 2**
D
Seems
unlikely
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



26
NG-PON via Overlay G-PON:
Stacked More G-PON Systems on the same ODN
splitter
1x32
G-PON
OLT
WDM
G-PON
OLT
15xx/15yy nm
(G.984.5)
1490/1310 nm
1490nm/1310 nm GPON
Overlay GPON
(15xx/15yy nm )
G-PON
OLT
G-PON
OLT
32-way split GPON gives
each customer sustained
bandwidth 80/40 Mbps
Upgrade 4 customers to
overlay GPON gives them
622/311 Mbps sustained
bandwidth each
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



27
NG-PON: 10G PON with Serial 10G Upstream
1:32
2G-Rx
1G-Tx
Vid.Rx
CO
G.984.5 Compatible
1550 nm
(or below)
1310 nm
window
1490 nm
Legacy user
Vid Tx
2G-Tx
1G-Rx
Triplexer
OLT
G-PON
Existing G-PON User
Overlay new 10G/10G NG-PON system
New triplexer New triplexer
10G-Rx
Vid.Rx
ONT, 1.3mm window up
10G-Tx
NG-PON User
10G-Rx
Vid.Rx
ONT, 1.3mm window up
10G-Tx
NG-PON User
New filter
Above
1550 nm
NG-PON
OLT
10G-Tx
10G-Rx
There are cost concerns
with 10 Gbps serial
upstream ONTs, hence
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



28
2 WDM Upstream @ 1.3mm, 1 Downstream @ 1.5mm
1:32
2G-Rx
1G-Tx
Vid.Rx
CO
G.984.5 Compatible
1550 nm
(or below)
1490 nm
Legacy G-PON user
10G-Rx
Vid.Rx
ONTa, 1270 nm up
5 G-Tx
New triplexer
Vid Tx
2G-Tx
1G-Rx
OLT
10G-Rx
Vid.Rx
ONTb, 1350 nm up
5 G-Tx
New triplexer
10G NG-PON with Parallel 5G Upstream
Triplexer
1310 nm
window
10G-Tx
5 G-Rx
New
NG-PON
OLT
5 G-Rx
Above
1550 nm
New filter
1310 nm
window
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



29
NG-PON: Likely Directions (1 of 2)
IEEE 802.3av Alignment:
There seems to be significant industry support for aligning the 10G
optics (PMD) of an ITU NG-PON system (to the greatest extent
possible) with the optical layer specification of the emerging IEEE
10GEPON (802.3av) Task Force
A near-final 802.av draft is expected by the time the ITU-T SG15 NG-
PON work begins in 2009.
Optical layer specifications now being use by IEEE are in alignment with
ITU optical budget rules (was not always the case)
Would allow ITU NG-PON systems to leverage volumes of 10GEPON
optics (cost benefits)
There are other voices, however, proposing alternative PMDs for
NG-PON (e.g., DWDM-based channelization)
G-PON Reuse: The transmission convergence (TC)
sublayer [framing, media access control, PON activation,
PON encryption, etc] and higher layer functionality (i.e.,
OMCI) will likely be based on the reuse of significant
portions of G-PON

Copyright 2008 Telcordia



30
NG-PON: Likely Directions (2 of 2)
Non-Coexistence NG-PON:
NG-PON work may also consider the specification of a system that
does not need to coexist on the same ODN as G-PON (e.g., for
Greenfield). Such NG-PON systems are not restricted
To G.984.5 enhancement band operation
By optical characteristics (e.g., loss, reflections) of embedded ODN
components (e.g., fibers and splitters)
May be focused on a slightly longer deployment horizon and
hence consider the use of technologies currently viewed as
emerging (e.g., colorless WDM-PON, 40 Gbps TDM) and that
are capable of supporting 1 Gbps per subscriber
Depending on the market success of standalone G.984.6 reach
extenders, NG-PON work may also include the integration of long-
reach optics in the system specifications (see the next two slides)

Copyright 2008 Telcordia



31
Hybrid WDM-PON w/ Extended Reach
Metro Office
OLT
SNI
wavelength
splitter
1 to N ls on single fiber
Wavelength selection here
dedicated l pair
dedicated l pair
NG ONT
Bitrate 1
NG ONT
Bitrate 2
power
splitter
TDMA
TDMA
power
splitter
RE
Remote Office
NG ONT
Bitrate 1
NG ONT
Bitrate 2
Reach 60 km
Optical
Trunk Line
Optical
Feeder
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32
NG-PON with Reach Extension
Example #2: NG-PON Multiplexer
splitter
ONT
ONT
ONT
1x32
Local Exchange Office
OLT
Remote Site
60 km
Class B+ (e.g., 20 km)
RE with
1:4 TDM multiplexing
1x32
1x32
40 Gbps
Four TDM
NG-PON
Systems
1x32
Four (1x32) 10G NG-PON Systems
NG-PON Media Access Control/DBA
functionality remains here
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



33
Summary
ITU PON systems continue to evolve to meet Operator needs
worldwide while maintaining a stable, backwards compatible,
specification
Work on defining NG-PON recommendations is expected to
begin with the new ITU study period in January
Systems based on TDM/TDMA technology providing coexistence
on the same fiber with todays G.984.5-compliant G-PON systems
seems likely
Consideration of other technologies is possible (WDM-PON, Code
Division Multiplex), especially in the context of NG-PON for
greenfield (non-coexistence) applications
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



34
About Telcordia
Provider of network software and services
to the global telecom market
Proud Bell System history
Leader in service fulfillment
Leader in number portability solutions
Leader in MVNO service delivery
Over 880 patents issued, delivering industry
leading technologies
Leadership positions in
standards bodies and industry
forums
Deep expertise in next-generation
networks, operations, and services
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35
PON Interoperability
Acronyms
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36
Acronyms
AN: Access Node
ATM: Asynchronous Transfer Mode
B-PON: Broadband PON
CDM: Code Division Multiplexing
CO: Central Office
COT: Central Office Terminal
CPE: Customer Premises Equipment
CTS: Common Technical Specification
CSA: Carrier Serving Area
DBA: Dynamic Bandwidth Assignment
DSL: Digital Subscriber Line
DSLAM: Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer

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37
Acronyms - 2
DWDM: Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
EFM: Ethernet in the First Mile (IEEE 802.3ah)
EMI: Electromagnetic Interference
EMS: Element Management System
EOC: Embedded Operations Channel
E-PON: Ethernet PON
FDF: Fiber Distribution Frame
FDH: Fiber Distribution Hub
FDI: Feeder-Distribution Interface
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



38
Acronyms - 3
FEC: Forward Error Correction
FITL: Fiber In The Loop
FOT: Fiber Optic Terminal
FSAN: Full Service Access Network
FTTB: Fiber-to-the-Business
FTTCab: Fiber-to-the-Cabinet
FTTC: Fiber-to-the-Curb
FTTH: Fiber-to-the-Home
FTTN: Fiber-to-the-Node (or Neighborhood)
FTTP: Fiber-to-the-Premises (includes FTTH and FTTB)
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Acronyms - 4
GEM: G-PON Encapsulation Mode
GFP: Generic Framing Procedure
G-PON: Giga-bit PON (G.984.x series)
GE-PON: a commercialized E-PON
ILEC: Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier
LU: Living Unit
MAC: Media Access Control
MDF: Main Distribution Frame
MOCA: Multimedia Over Coax
NID: Network Interface Device
NT: Network Termination
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40
Acronyms - 5
OAM: Operations, Administration and Maintenance
ODN: Optical Distribution Network
OLT: Optical Line Termination
OMCC: ONT Management and Control Channel
OMCI: ONT Management and Control Interface
ONT: Optical Network Termination
ONU: Optical Network Unit
OSP: Outside Plant
OSS: Operations Support System
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Acronyms - 6
P2P: Point to Point
P2MP: Point to Multi-Point
PFOC: Passive Fiber Optic Component
PLOAM: Physical Layer Operations, Administration, and
Maintenance
PMD: Polarization Mode Dispersion
PON: Passive Optical Network
POTS: Plain Old Telephone Service
QoS: Quality of Service
RX: Receiver
Copyright 2008 Telcordia



42
Acronyms - 7
SAC: Serving Area Concept
SAI: Serving Area Interface
SONET: Synchronous Optical Network
STB: Set-Top Box
TA: Terminal Adapter
TDM: Time Division Multiplexing
TDMA: Time Division Multiple Access
TE: Terminal Equipment
TX: Transmitter
TXR: Transceiver (Transmitter and Receiver)
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43
Acronyms - 8
VF: Voice Frequency
VoIP: Voice over IP
WDM: Wavelength Division Multiplexing