Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
OPTICAL ACCESS NETWORK’s (OAN’s)
1. History & Reason of Existence
The experience with active and passive
optical networks have been gained
within ten years of experience with
active and passive optical networks
.These networks has different features
that causes both of them to have
advantages and disadvantages. Fiber
optics network can be laid directly to
households (Fiber to Home [FTTH]) by
using direct networks which include the
main types of network that are Passive
optical networks (PON) & Active optical
networks (AON).
In the mid-1990s, the first large-scale
PON installations were commissioned in
Japan. In many other parts of the
world, FTTH concepts were a long way
off. The existence of the internet and
the need of better bandwidth has a
great attract to customers but the
technology was much too expensive in
any case ,so earlier customers didn’t
believe it’s necessary to have a higher
bandwidth capacity until the beginning
of the new millennium.
The subsequent escalation of
bandwidth, fuelled by the availability of
broadband DSL connections via copper
wire, has turned the internet and
associated services into an unparalleled
success story.
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Today, considering all the new services
like high definition IPTV, online gaming
and remote surveillance, ICT service
providers are well advised to seek
access network solutions with even
more bandwidth for the post-DSL era.
However, due to the physical properties
of copper wire in the last mile, VDSL2
has reached its limits, even if technology
called DSM (Dynamic Spectrum
Management) is being developed to
boost the transmission capacity on
copper. Communication solutions like
WiMAX, or LTE in mobile telephony,
reach the limits of their capabilities
even more quickly because of poorer
physical transmission properties (in
comparison with copper). To date, the
only solution for seemingly infinite
bandwidths has been the optical wave
guide, also called Fiber optics.
2. Basic Facts
The main difference between PON &
AON is that PON uses passive splitters.
The splitter is basically a kind of multi-
mirror that distributes the optical signal
for the subscriber line to fiber optic
routes without any electrical current
(which is why it is called passive).
 Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
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The first active optical access networks

used TDM technology. The first passive In FTTH network architecture,
optical networks on the other hand subscriber t access is implemented using
used ATM for voice and data traffic. optical network termination (ONT) that
(Because early PON systems could terminates the optical signal and
already transmit a TV broadcast signal converts it into one or more electrical
on a separate wavelength in the optical interfaces, such as for example
spectrum, simultaneously to the voice- 100BaseTx, POTS, ISDN or Coax.
data signal, they were popular in cable
TV networks. The topologies of PON
and CATV networks are also very similar
to one another, so existing cable lines,
or ducts can be used and costs saved in
the network rollout. The objective of
both PON and AON is to get the fiber
optics as close as possible, ideally right
into the subscribers’ houses and
apartments. This FTTH- solution is
technically the best option with respect
to the transmission quality and the
bandwidth.

2.1. Passive Optical Networks (PONs)

If copper wire is used for the last mile,
The first network element in Passive
an optical network unit (ONU) can
Optical Network is the Line Termination
be used instead of the optical network
Unit), that provides n x 1 Gbps and n x
termination in the PON, which then
10 Gbps Ethernet interfaces to the core
provides interfaces such as POTS, ISDN
network and the PON interfaces to the
or DSL.
subscriber . The PON types used here
In this case, the network architecture is
today are usually Ethernet-PON or its
a Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) connection.
called (EPON), Gigabit-PON (GPON) or
All PON subscribers receive the same
Gigabit-Ethernet-PON (GEPON).
optical signal at the end of the fiber
Ethernet technology is the common
optics. The personal allocation of data
denominator in all these technologies.
is carried out via a time multiplex

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 Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
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procedure, i.e. each subscriber receives MSANs are used. When MSANs are
their own time slot to transmit and used, both copper and optical lines can
receive. Synchronization of the right be used for the last mile from the same
user time slot is carried out in the ONT. access node.

2.2 Active Optical Networks (AONs) 3. AON vs. PON

3.1. Bandwidth
AON is a point-to-point network
The trend towards increasing bandwidth
structure (PTP), i.e. each subscriber has
continues unabated. Due to the launch
their own fiber optic line that is
of TV-over-IP (IPTV) there is no sign of
terminated on an optical concentrator
the increase in bandwidth tailing off, in
(Access Node [AN]).
fact quite the opposite. Because of the
recent launch of (HDTV) and other
technically complex services Such as
online gaming, network operators are
being encourage to outdo one another
by providing more and more bandwidth.
The following table compares PON and
AON transmission bandwidth.

This type of AN can be designed

differently, depending on specific
locations. Usually Metro Ethernet-
Switches, IP-Edge routers or Multi-
Service Access Nodes (MSANs) with
optical Ethernet interfaces are used in
this case. The Fiber optics can be
terminated by an ONT here too, but also
by any Ethernet switch or IP router with
an optical uplink interface. If the last
mile to the subscriber is to be bridged
using copper wire, DSLAMs or other

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 Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
When comparing PON and AON from
the bandwidth Allocation, it can be
noticed that AON is better since in AON
the amount allocated to the subscribe is
governed by the interface type, or
traffic shaping on the access node and
is therefore adjustable in kilobit
increments.
While for PON, The GPON interface on
the OLT nowadays is 2.5/1.25 Gbps
(downlink/uplink). The bandwidth per
subscriber is determined by the splitting
factor (usually 1:32 or 1:64). Modern
PON system show ever permits bundling
of several time slots and therefore an
increase in bandwidth per PON terminal
point.
And so AON clearly has the edge
because of its flexibility. Due to the
static splitting factor and the interfaces
on the OLT, PON is at a disadvantage.
Also another issue that is to be looked
at, when dealing with the ability to
increase the bandwidth, As the active
access node has a modular structure,
subscriber interfaces can be upgraded
to include more Bandwidth. It is often
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sufficient to just switch the fiber optic
lead to be able to operate it again.
While it’s very difficult when it’s done in
PON, since it depend on the systems
technology. It would be feasible in the
future to bundle several time slots and
therefore, at the cost of the maximum
number of subscribers per PON branch,
to increase individual bandwidth by a
factor of n + 1. The bandwidth of the
PON port on the OLT is the absolute
limit.
3.2. Security and quality of services
An aspect in public networks that is
regaining importance is Quality-of-
Service (QoS), which considering today‘s
financial restraints is often forced to
take a back seat. At the dawn of the
ADSL rollout, the majority of services
offered took a best effort approach, i.e.
the data channel guaranteed neither a
minimum bandwidth, nor any other
quality features worth mentioning. As
today however, Triply Play services
(telephony, data and TV down one
single line) are already transmitted to
the subscriber, QoS applies more than
ever .
When surfing the Web, short delays of 1
– 2 seconds, e.g. when clicking on a link,
do not really matter. During a phone
call, this level of delay is however
completely unacceptable. When
watching TV, it is also no fun if the
 Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
picture freezes before a goal is scored.
As a result, the Triple Play services must
be clearly separate and allocated
priority. Although theoretically
unlimited bandwidth is available in a
fiber optic line, QoS not be forgotten.
Not all QoS aspects can be responded to
with bandwidth and neither PON nor
AON can really provide unlimited
bandwidth.
Nowadays, the Triple Play offerings,
implemented via copper wire often
consist of two television channels with
standard resolution (SDTV), a high-
speed Internet connection (>3 Mbps)
and at least one POTS or ISDN
telephone connection. The current state
of the art is that network operators are
planning approx. 15 Mbps downlink
capacity.
In the future the end customer will be
demanding high definition TV (HDTV).
Two simultaneous TV channels will
mean an unacceptable restriction for a
family of four in the long term.
Furthermore, currently ADSL 16 Mbps
Internet access is already being
marketed to private customers and
including n telephone lines.
Online gaming – in the Far East popular
for years – is also looking promising in
Europe. In this case, top rates of 50
Mbps per subscriber line could easily be
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reached. Today, standard VDSL2 access
would not be able to cope.
The scenario described above indicates
what the private consumer will look like
in the near future. If such a scenario
appears exaggerated, we only have to
recall the situation 10 years ago when
modern end customers still used 56
kbps dial-up modems to read emails, for
sending faxes and for home banking. In
comparison to today’ s standard 3.5
Mbps ADSL connection, the bandwidth
has increased 62-fold! Special
requirements from business customers,
or demands for the backhaul of sub-
networks, server connections or high
performance IT applications would
easily exceed these quality
specifications and require even greater
high quality performance.
3.3. Business case aspects
Using fiber optic cable promises virtually
unlimited bandwidths, however the
network operator only ever has just the
copper wire line in the last mile. That
means that if the DSL technology is no
longer adequate, new optical cables
must always be laid.
But when making a comparison
between POS and AOS from different
Investment views it can be noticed that
PON Vs.AON in Cost
AON PON
 Microwave Course Term Paper in Fiber Optics 201
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Low High
Cost of (active components)
High Low
Costs of (passive components and
infrastructure)
High LOW
Network rollout costs
High Low

4. Summery

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