Verizon claims NG-PON2 technology is targeted at FiOS-based enterprise and consumer service with speed in excess of 10 Gb per fiber
Verizon Communications said it’s continuing to make progress on plans to bolster its fiber optic infrastructure, noting it has named a pair of companies to begin testing its next-generation passive optical network equipment.
The telecom operator said that starting this month, it will begin initial testing with equipment from Ericsson – and its partner Calix – and with Adtran at the Verizon Innovation Lab in Waltham, Massachusetts. The testing is said to focus on tuning performance, the ability to carry residential and enterprise services on the same platform, and interoperability and conformance testing of the NG-PON2 technology.
The NG-PON2 technology, which last year garnered International Telecommunications Union’s Telecommunications Standardization Sector approval, is said to rely on different wavelengths, represented by different colors, to transmit data. Verizon said it’s looking at the technology in connection with its FiOS wired broadband network, with claims the NG-PON2 technology can support up to 40 gigabytes of total capacity and speeds up to 10 gigabits per second over a single fiber.
If testing proves fruitful, Verizon said it will be looking at using the technology to serve enterprise customers beginning next year, with residential services to potentially follow depending on technology maturation and market demand.
“By implementing this advanced technology without having to change the current underlying fiber optic infrastructure, additional traffic can be carried cost effectively,” the company noted in a statement. “Verizon also can improve flexibility and resiliency using NG-PON2, because traffic can be shifted amongst multiple wavelengths without impacting customers.”
Verizon noted it completed a success field trial of the NG-PON2 technology last year, which included sending a signal from the company’s tech lab to a consumer premise three miles away and a nearby business. The trial included equipment from Cisco Systems and PT Inovação.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter