hw-076443

TESEP 2010 ISSU

SEP 2010 ISSUE 57

TESEP 2010 ISSU

China Telecom goes all optical in Xi’an

New technologies giveDSL a fresh lease of life

10G PON ushersin a new era

The butterfly effect of Avatar

FTTx heralds the ultra-broadband era

Sponsor: Huawei COMMUNICATE Editorial Board,Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Consultants: Hu Houkun, Xu Zhijun, Xu Wenwei, Ding Yun, Zhang Hongxi, Zhu Yonggang

Editor-in-Chief: Gao Xianrui (sally@huawei.com)

Editors: Liu Zhonglin, Li Xuefeng, Xu Peng, Xue Hua, Xu PingChen Yuhong, Huang Zhuojian, Yao Haifei, Long Ji Pan Tao, Zhu Wenli, Fan Ruijuan, Ranajit Sankar DamMike Bossick, Gary Maidment, Zhou Shumin

Contributors: Zha Jun, You Yinyong, Li Heshun, Zhang Yufen, Fu Yu Qu Haipeng, Luo Wenbin, Cai Tao, Lin WeiZhou Feng, Gao Ge, Li Yanyan, Ye Xiaoming, Xu MengZhao Peiru, Wang Huaidong, Zhu Hong, Luo Jie

E-mail: HWtech@huawei.com

Tel: +86 755 28789348, 28789343

Fax: +86 755 28787923

Address: B1, Huawei Industrial Base, Bantian, Longgang, Shenzhen 518129, China

Publication registration No.: Yue B No.10148

Copyright © Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2010. All rights reserved.No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

NO WARRANTYThe contents of this document are for information purpose only, and provided “as is”. Except as required by applicable laws, no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are made in relation to contents of this document. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no case shall Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages, or lost profits, business, revenue, data, goodwill or anticipated savings arising out of or in connection with any use of this document.

Speed and efficiency decide the outcome of a game or a sporting event. Likewise, in the highly competitive ICT industry, these two factors determine who wins. ICT players are all the time faced with challenges resulting from technological progress and business innovation. To increase market share and stay ahead of the competition, they must move in the right direction and act swiftly and strongly.

As network traffic is increasingly dominated by large-screen video services such as IPTV, HDTV, 3D video, and teleconferencing, the bandwidth of 20 to 100Mbps is becoming standard. In the coming 5 years, network traffic will outpace Moore’s Law, growing 50 to 100 times; video traffic will account for 90% of all network traffic, compared with the current 40%. All this will test the access network to the limits.

FTTH has come to the rescue. Featuring high capacity, the eco-friendly FTTH network supports high-quality video services at a low per-unit bandwidth cost. FTTH deployments have exploded worldwide thanks to maturing technologies and dropping costs plus government support and telecom market deregulation.

However, ultra-broadband network deployment and business success do not happen overnight.

FTTH network deployment differs from traditional copper network construction. It involves site re-planning, ODN redesign, and the deployment of a new physical network – infrastructure that will remain viable for 20 to 30 years to come. In building this brand-new fiber network, the operator will face challenges like never before, from access to backbone, from infrastructure planning, design, implementation and maintenance to equipment integration and service launch that support multimedia/video services. The deployment speed and efficiency, therefore, is the precondition for an operator to win the ultra-broadband game.

From the application perspective, the ONT terminal has evolved from a bridge connector to a home gateway. Besides the basic voice function, it has gradually incorporated home networking, storage, security management, among others, becoming the point of control for access to a home network. Operators are thus prompted to develop digital and smart home applications and build a ubiquitous network platform for these applications. This is a natural choice if they are to succeed in the home broadband market and improve the ARPU effectively.

To help operators win the coming FTTH race, we present Huawei’s cutting-edge SingleFAN solution. Uniquely tailored to meet potential future demands and challenges, the solution employs superior speed and efficiency, and is thus the ideal choice for operators the world over.

Efficiency makes the difference

Zha Jun

President of Huawei

Network Product Line

02 Maxis cooperates with Huawei to build and manage its Next-Generation High-Speed Internet network

01 BT fuels super-fast broadband deployment

21 Big screen, high bandwidth make the perfect combo

By Nan Ningxuan

24 The butterfly effect of AvatarBy Huang Ye

05 Yoichi Maeda, the chairman of ITU-T Study Group 15:

10G PON ushers in a new eraBy Lin Wei

07 10G PON: steady steps towards commercial use

By Ao Li

03 Ron Kline from Ovum’s Research:

Evolution – a new stage for metro and backbone networks

By Michael Huang

Expert’s Forum

Main Topic

17 Fiber-optic broadband hits top gearBy Li Heshun

Cover Story

09 The age of fiber: FTTx heralds the ultra-broadband eraFTTx has emerged as a high capacity, wide coverage, and low cost solution that is eco-friendly and can smoothly bear video services. Backed by mature technology, reduced costs, government support, and increasingly open policies, FTTx is the new optimum choice for operators.

By Zhou Feng & Liu Zhonglin

What’s inside:

P.03 P.11 P.43

Let’s COMMUNICATE beyond technology and share understandings of the latest industry trends,

successful operational cases, leading technologies and more. Based on in-depth analysis of the

matters that lie close to your heart, we will help you stay on top in the competitive telecom industry.

33 China Telecom Quanzhou champions FTTx

By Wang chong & Xiao Bingyan

36 A closer look: mass FTTH ODN deployment

By Xue Qiang, China Unicom

49 From GPON to 10G GPONBy Wu Huazhong & Zhao Ming

47 Efficient FTTx O&M: a checklistBy Luo Jie & Zhang Yufen

54 What lies below eTOM level 3?By Li Sihao & Chen Qibiao

45 The iODN, an intelligent fiber network manager

By Li De

43 SingleFAN: the beauty of simplicityBy Huang Xinqiang

Solution

52 New technologies give DSL a fresh lease of life

By Fang Liming & Long Guozhu

Leading Edge

39 Carbon efficiency evaluation of FTTx deployment

By Anders & Gianluca

27 China Telecom shares its FTTH recipe Bringing Shanghai up to speed

By Pan Tao

31 China Telecom goes all optical in Xi’an

By Li Enhong, China Telecom

How to Operate

P47 P.07P.33

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Qtel begins roll out process for FTTH in Qatar

Doha, Qatar, 30 August

2010, Qtel announced that it has

begun the implementation of its

programme for FTTH, which aims

to connect homes in Qatar with

high-speed fibre connections

over the next three years.

The FTTH programme was

announced in March 2010, and

with the rollout starting August

2010, Qtel is on track to hit its

ambitious target. As part of the

programme, Qtel has selected

Huawei as its technology partner.

The programme is the largest

infrastructure project of its kind

ever carried out by Qtel.

As part of the FTTH programme,

existing copper connections

will be replaced by high-speed

fibre connections, and homes

and businesses will get direct

connect ions to ensure that

everyone can benefit.

The process , wh ich wi l l

continue throughout the year and

into 2012, will be undertaken

in cooperation with all relevant

authorities and government bodies,

to minimize inconvenience.

Qtel is also set to support

a nationwide communication

programme, which will help

keep ne ighbourhoods and

communities fully informed about

when and how the connection

process will happen. Homes will

receive the faster connection

free of charge, and people in

Qatar will be provided with the

necessary equipment to take full

advantage of the faster speeds.

BT fuels super-fast broadband deployment

London, UK, 26 August 2010,

Huawei has further strengthened

its strategic partnership with

BT by providing a number of

access products to support

BT’s Openreach division in the

deployment of the company’s

new national fibre network.

BT is planning to spend an

extra £1 bil l ion on its next-

generation broadband network

to bring super-fast broadband to

two-thirds of UK households by

2015, subject to an acceptable

environment for investment. As

one of BT’s strategic partners,

Huawei is dedicated to providing

BT with professional solutions

to fulfill the requirements of

BT’s Next Generation Access

network.

Huawei’s unique SingleFAN

solution is based on an open

and unified platform, enabling

Openreach to significantly reduce

operation and maintenance costs.

Huawei’s SingleFAN solution also

offers a future-proof platform for

communications providers using

the Openreach network to roll out

multi-play services to residential

and business customers.

PCCW launches Asia’s first 42Mbps DC-HSPA+ network

Hong Kong, 25 August 2010,

PCCW, Hong Kong's premier

telecommunications provider, has

launched 42Mbps Dual Carrier

HSPA+ solution and provided

service on 11 August 2010

across its territory-wide network,

which makes PCCW Asia’s first

mobile operator to successfully

commercialize the state-of-the-

art 42Mbps Dual Carrier HSPA+

technology on an entire network.

Huawe i p rov ided PCCW

with an end-to-end 42Mbps

DC-HSPA+ network, including

a radio access network, a core

network, and devices. Huawei’s

industry-leading SingleRAN@

Broad solution enabled PCCW

to build a multi-layer mobile

broadband network across Hong

Kong, increase network capacity,

enhance user experience, and

lower total cost of ownership.

In addition, Huawei’s SingleEPC

packet core network solution

allows PCCW to optimize its

mobi le broadband network

operation, while Huawei’s E372,

a cutting-edge commercial HSPA+

dongle, provides an unmatched

mobile broadband experience,

with a downlink data rate of up

to 42Mbps and an uplink data

rate of up to 5.76Mbps.

Huawei provides Tata Teleservices with MSC pool

Mumbai, India, 25 August,

2010 , Huawe i announced

that they have improved the

performance, rel iabi l ity and

disaster resilience of the Tata

Teleservices network in Mumbai,

India by implementing Huawei’s

MSC Pool solution. The solution

transformed three existing sets of

CDMA mobile soft-switches into

one MSC Pool without having to

make any modifications to other

parts of the network. For Tata,

a leading telecommunications

operator in India, this means

that their 1.5 million subscribers

in Mumbai are provided with

improved service and higher

reliability, regardless of where

they travel in the metropolitan

I n add i t i on to ga i n s i n

r e l i a b i l i t y, t h e o p e r a t o r -

control lable load balancing

add re s se s the p rob l em o f

unevenly distributed traffic loads

in geographical areas, adjusting

the ratio of subscriber quantity

to traffic volume between the

three MSC. This approach can

reduce total network capacity

demands by up to 20% and

significantly reduce CAPEX. The

MSC Pool solution has been

put into commercial use by 23

leading operators worldwide,

serving more than 100 million

subscribers.

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

DB Systel completes Europe’s first successful GSM-R call

Eschborn, Germany, 12 August,

2010, In May 2010, DB Systel, a

subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn and

one of the leading providers of

ICT services in Germany, tasked

Huawei with the delivery of a

state-of-the-art IP-based GSM-

Railway (GSM-R) system for their

test floor. Only three months from

the time that contract was signed,

the first GSM-R call in DB Systel’s

lab was recently performed.

GSM-R is an international wireless

communications standard for

rai lway communication and

applications. This is the first time

that Huawei has initiated a GSM-R

call in Europe.

To date, Huawei has delivered

more than 6,335km of contracted

GSM-R lines to railway customers

across three continents. The

company completed the world's

first GSM-R tests at a high speed

of 430 km/h on the Shanghai

Maglev Railway in 2006.

China Mobile completes China’s first 10G GPON full-service test

Shenzhen, China, 31 August,

2010, China Mobile has joined

hand with Huawei and completed

China's first 10G GPON full-service

test over a live network. This test

demonstrated that Huawei’s 10G

GPON solution is both backward

and forward compatible, and is

capable of supporting any service

and any scenario.

Huawei created a 10G GPON

network envi ronment after

upgrading a live GPON network of

China Mobile Zhejiang. The 10G

GPON network was then tested

using ITU-T G.987-compliant test

schemes, which verified 10G

GPON's support for diverse services,

such as Internet data, IMS-based

voice, IPTV, E1 leased line, Ethernet

leased line, video conferencing,

and WLAN backhaul. Following

the completion of this test, the

10G GPON network environment

has continued to service users over

the live network, with the aim to

further test 10G GPON stability and

support for full-service operations.

Mobyland launches world’s first commercial 1800MHz LTE/EPC network

Warsaw, Poland, 8 September,

2010, Mobyland with cooperation

of CenterNet, Poland’s leading

2G mobile provider, successfully

l aunched the wor ld ’s f i r s t

commercial 1800MHz LTE/EPC

network with Huawei’s end

to end (E2E) LTE/EPC solution.

Mobyland with cooperation of

CenterNet is now able to provide

the unparalleled mobile broadband

service to mobile broadband

operators and their end users with

peak downlink speeds of more

than 146Mbps per user.

Huawei has deployed a world-

class mobile broadband network

across Poland for Mobyland with

its cutting-edge SingleRAN@Broad

solution. This deployment includes

the world’s first commercial LTE/

EPC network based on 1800MHz

spectrum with 20MHz bandwidth

on one radio unit.

Huawei becomes member of Ottawa Centre for research and innovation

OTTAWA, Ontario, 25 August

2010, Huawei announced that

it has become a member of the

Ottawa Centre for Research

and Innovation (OCRI). OCRI

is Ottawa's leading member-

based economic development

corporation for fostering the

advancement of the region's

globally competitive knowledge-

based institutions and industries.

H u a w e i h a s e n j o y e d

tremendous success since entering

the Canadian market in the spring

of 2008. With a dedication to

customer-centric innovation

and localized customer services,

Huawei has become a strategic

partner with world-class operators

including Bell Canada, TELUS

and SaskTel in Canada’s telecom

industry.

Maxis cooperates with Huawei to build and manage its Next-Generation High-Speed Internet network

Kuala Lumpur, 26 August 2010,

Maxis Berhad (Maxis), Malaysia's

leading integrated communications

provider, announced that it has

selected Huawei as its exclusive

supplier for its Next-Generation

High-Speed Internet network,

inc lud ing the bui ld ing and

managing of a full-service FTTx

network using GPON technologies.

This will offer Maxis subscribers

fresh fixed-mobile convergence

(FMC) services, which will include

High Speed Internet services after

its completion within the year.

An agreement was inked on

19 August in Kuala Lumpur to

formalise the partnership between

Maxis and Huawei. Under the

agreement, Huawei will deliver

an end-to-end turnkey services

package that includes active

and passive equipment, holistic

Optical Distribution Network

(ODN) designs, and construction

management for the construction

of Maxis' Next-Generation High-

Speed Internet network.

Upon complet ion of the

project, a network of homes in

Klang Valley, Penang and Johor

Bahru will be connected on a last

mile basis, using fibre-to-the-home

(FTTH) wired technologies. In

addition to designing and building

the active network infrastructure,

Huawei will also manage the FTTH

network for three years.

Expert’s Forum

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

support Ethernet. These differ depending on direction; some would utilize Ethernet over copper, while others want only fiber-based Ethernet using native Ethernet protocols, or apply Ethernet over SONET. It’s a very mixed environment, yet the trend is to move to a more intelligent service like VPLS, as opposed to the standard Ethernet private line service.”

In emerging markets, he envisages more green-field applications and expects greater application of aggregation equipment, such as converged packet optical (CPO), that incorporates SDH/SONET, Ethernet and WDM in a single platform, instead of traditional stand-alone network elements like MSPP, Ethernet switches and metro WDM.

Cost-effective metro network

Many operators are in the process of evolving their metro networks, though challenges remain – the largest involves constructing an economical metro network. “Operators must grow a cost-effective network, while remaining backwards compatible with the things tha t a re making money now. It ’s evolution, not revolution.”

For SDH/SONET, Mr. Kline views that operators need a reliable migration path to provide next generation services. Whether it is Ethernet over SDH/SONET or IP over Ethernet, “Operators

Evolution – a new stage for metro and backbone networksIn an era of convergence and ever-growing data traffic, evolution is required in the metro and backbone networks to help operators consolidate existing revenue streams and create new opportunities. Ron Kline, Principal Analyst, Network Infrastructure at Ovum, shares his insights into the market dynamics and evolutionary trend of metro and backbone networks.

By Michael Huang

Ensuring viable metro evolution

onstructing a cost-effective metro network marks the route to lowering costs and meeting future service requirements. It

is vital to choose a practical evolutionary path for l egacy metro networks a s customers’ needs are evolving, bringing increased traffic to networks.

Two directions

Mr. KIine comments that, “Operators are evolving their metro networks in two directions – Ethernet and optical transport networks (OTN).” This helps operators support the high bandwidth and fine granularity requirements of today’s networks. Ethernet is quickly gaining favor over SONET/SDH by providing operators with less expensive interfaces and easy connections to corporate and residential networks. OTN enables secure and reliable transmission of Ethernet, SDH/SONET and other high-speed services in the metro network. OTN also provides the similar protection capabilities as SDH which operators have come to depend on.

“Metro Ethernet has become a generic trend in North America. Nearly al l operators in the North American market have a strategy to upgrade their networks to

Ron Kline has been Ovum’s Research Director for Optical Networks North America since 2000. He brought 18 years of service provider experience to Ovum RHK and is responsible for overall direction of Ovum RHK’s North American optical networking research. Ron specializes in bandwidth management (DCS and OCS), aggregation (SONET and OEDs), and WDM.

Expert’s Forum

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

don’t want to put in equipment and then have to replace it. They need equipment that can evolve, so they just put in new interfaces, upgrade software and provide the needed functionalities at lower costs.”

SDH/SONET will live on

Though Ethernet and OTN have emerged to accommodate the growing demand for transporting large data volumes and v ideo t ra f f ic , SDH/SONET continues to experience steady growth over the past few years. “It will take a long time before SDH/SONET completes its lifecycle, as the technology provides qui te good capabi l i t ie s , and many operators still rely on the technology to support their networks. In 2009, we saw a lot of growth in 2G and 3G networks that use T1/E1 circuits. In this context, SDH/SONET provides a cost-effective method because the equipment is designed for this purpose and is often already in place.”

The economic downturn has also made operators opt for steady growing traditional networks instead of risking change. “It is easier to put another card in an SDH/SONET box than put in a new box of another type of technology. SDH/SONET will live on for quite a long time, going through 2014 and beyond; at the same t ime, OTN-based WDM networks will emerge to transparently carry both SDH/SONET and Ethernet traffic.”

Developing the backbone

In Nor th Amer i c a , t h e l a r g e r operators AT&T and Verizon have been very public about their plans to upgrade their networks to support increased traffic, and plan to use OTN solutions to help manage bandwidth and strategically expand their backbone networks.

Backbone transformation

“One thing operators can do is use OTN to increase the intelligence of optical equipment, such as Ethernet layer 2 switching.” OTN can provide large granularity dispatching, traffic grooming, and link protection, while its interaction with the IP layer can help operators efficiently free up core router capacity. By bypassing routers, operators can redirect IP traffic to the optical layer, allowing packet flows to reach their destinations without going through every hop.

Regarding the IP and OTN synergy solution lunched by Huawei, Mr. Kline notes that it is “in line with the thinking of operators and the future architecture of their networks.” The Huawei network product line did quite well in 2009. “With the help of a surge in spending on 3G in China, Huawei has outperformed other vendors to become No.1 in the optical network area. Huawei is strong in nearly every region, though not yet in North America; however, I expect some changes in the coming months as Huawei has strengthened cooperation with its partners in the region.”

“Another major trend is the continued growth of routers and the pipes between them. From my perspective, the best thing the operators could do would be to put the higher level 40G and 100G

interfaces on the routers to reduce network latency. Huawei has performed very well in the 40G area gaining many customers in 2009. For 100G, the industry still has some catching up to do in commercializing products, however, development is moving quickly and we expect that market to take off in 2012. ”

Managing bandwidth

Bandwidth management is also a key factor to manage the exploding growth of traffic. “Bandwidth management comes in a number of different places on a network, including the metro and backbone layers. We’re starting to see some interesting activities in this area, which picked up substantially over the second half of 2009, and will continue to do so in 2010 and beyond – most notably in the higher capacity backbone cross connect, which is now migrating to OTN.” A number of vendors introduced OTN cross-connects in 2009 and future applications are highly anticipated.

In the North American market, Mr. Kline comments that, “Operators are facing increased data traffic generated by smart phones like iPhone, and are adding more T1s to their sites to expand bandwidth. I don’t think it will have a large impact on the network because those T1s go through existing DCS 3/1 bandwidth management devices. However, bandwidth management on the access layer is moving towards smaller layer 2 packet-based devices, which reflects a more general change compared with the legacy TDM plus bandwidth management model.” In North America, AT&T and Verizon are now investigating the use of OTN cross-connects to streamline their network. Mr. Kline believes recent tender activity by these operators signals a chance to apply OTN cross-connect in backbone mesh networks.Editor: Gao Xianrui sally@huawei.com

The electronic version and subscription information are available at www.huawei.com/communicate. Questions and suggestions may be directed to the editor concerned.

Expert’s Forum

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

10G-PON ushers in a new eraAt the plenary meeting of ITU-T Study Group 15 on June 11, 2010, Chairman Yoichi Maeda, announced consent of Parts III and IV of the 10G-PON technical specifications. The meeting, which was held at ITU’s Geneva headquarters, endorsed the major part of the 10G-PON standards, which will in turn guide the direction of mass PON deployment.

By Lin Wei

and EPON standards. It can seamlessly evolve from 1G G-PON and continue to support full-service operations. The industry expects the 10G-PON standard to be compatible with G-PON, but deliver higher bandwidth.

Published by ITU-T, FSAN proposed the G-PON standard in 2002. Unlike similar optical access standards, the G-PON standard has mostly been promoted by telecom operators, industry vendors , and exper ts . Rigorous ly defined, the standard comprehensively addresses issues such as bandwidth, service bearing, and management and maintenance. It is thus believed that G-PON is the optimum choice for full-service provision and tri-network integration applications.

Shortly after G-PON standardization, FSAN and the ITU-T began researching and accelerating the ratification of next-generation PON standards. This represents the first step of G-PON’s evolutionary path to realizing a low cost and high capacity network that offers wide coverage, full service provision, and strong connectivity,

FSAN began 10G-PON study in 2006, the first phased result of which was a whi te paper cover ing NG-PON1. Released in September 2009, the white paper defined the framework, system requirements, and physical layer specifications for 10G-PON technology, and laid the foundation for the subsequent general and physical layer specifications released in October

10G-PON ushers in a new era10G PON: Steady steps towards commercial use

Yoichi Maeda is the chairman of ITU-T Study Group 15. He now works for the NTT Advanced Technology Corporation and leads its standardization initiative, acting as Senior Advisor. Since 1989 he has been an active participant in ITU-T SGs 13 and 15. In October 2008, at WTSA-08, he was appointed to the chair of ITU-T SG15 for the 2009-2012 study period for his second term.

Expert’s Forum

efore serving as ITU-T SG15 c h a i r m a n , Yo i c h i Ma e d a chaired the Optical Access Network Working Group of

Full Service Access Network (FSAN). As a leader of the PON area, he has been instrumental in the development of ITU-T TDM PON standards from APON to G-PON.

He believes the 10G-PON standard is making solid progress, “In the area of access networks, great progress was made at the June SG15 meeting. We agreed one amendment – G.984.4 Am3 – and one new recommendation – G.984.7 – for the G-PON G.984 series. Three documents were agreed f o r t h e XG - P O N G . 9 8 7 s e r i e s : G.987, G.987.2 rev, and G.987.3, and the supplement, G.sup.MAC-PHY-interface, was accepted. The new recommendation, G.988, was also agreed. Future tasks include improving the XG-PON series; for example, G.987.re; amendments to describe 5Gbps upstream; the development of G.9980, and maintenance. The meeting has led the way for the future application of PON to support the broadband access network infrastructure.”

From G-PON to 10G-PON

As one of the two major next -g e n e r a t i o n P O N t e c h n o l o g i e s , 10G-PON supports higher rates and split ratios than the existing G-PON

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

2009. By this time, the main body of the 10G-PON standard had been on the way to be gradually ratified.

Yoichi Maeda is optimistic about the 10G-PON standard, “The main body of the 10G(D/S)/2.5G(U/S) 10G-PON standard was agreed in the June SG15 meeting. The draft recommendations have a l ready entered the las t ca l l comments in the AAP approval process and will be completed soon.”

Smooth evolution and superb interoperability

In addition to a range of advanced features such as high bandwidth, full-service capabilities, a high split ratio, and support for long-distance transmission, 10G-PON technology distinguishes itself in two major ways:

Smooth evolution

By inheriting the same topology as G-PON, 10G-PON can coexist seamlessly with G-PON or EPON. The 10G-PON ODN system is fully compatible with existing fibers, optical splitters, and connectors. By replacing ONT/ONU modules and adding 10 Gbps interface boards to the OLT, the system can maximize the commercial v a l u e o f O D N e q u i p m e n t . T h e technology can seamlessly evolve from PON to 10G-PON, and O&M can be carried out without changing external devices and connections or upgrading subscriber terminals. This is welcome news for the operators currently active in deploying PON FTTx, as 10G-PON technology can protect their investments.

Superb interoperability

10G-PON technology inherently possesses strong interoperability. “One of the most important aspects for operators is interoperability, and 10G-PON is naturally interoperable. G.988 has developed directly from G.984.4 and G.impl984.4. The essential features of G-PON OMCI are supported by G.988.

Future interoperability scenarios will be promoted by ITU-T TSB and will be demonstrated in the World Telecom 2011 event in Geneva.”

World-leading operators have tailored the OMCI standard to their own networking and O&M requirements. The standard enables them to flexibly combine any of the management capabilities of configuration, fault, performance, and security into a full management and maintenance system that suits specific network conditions. As well as giving operators a worldwide purchasing platform, the standard can swiftly evolve global applications into a driving force for the industry chain, thus cutting investment costs through economies of scale and consolidating FTTx network development.

Commercialization driven by industry strength

As one of the most inf luent ia l organizations in the current optical access arena, FSAN was jointly established by seven opera tor s in 1995. The organization sought to propose optical

Editor: Xu Peng xupeng@huawei.com

World-leading operators have tailored the OMCI standard to their own networking and O&M requirements. The standard enables them to flexibly combine any of the management capabilities of configuration, fault, performance, and security into a full management and maintenance system that suits specific network conditions.

access solutions and develop a standard for optical access network equipment. Equipment compatible with this standard can provide a combination of voice, data, and image service capabilities. To date, FSAN has grown to comprise over 80 leading operators, vendors, and chip makers, including AT&T, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Bell Canada, British Telecom, France Telecom, NTT, Telefonica, Verizon, and vendors like Huawei.

S ince November 2008 , FSAN has aggressively pursued a definitive 10G-PON standard. Verizon, France Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, and China Mobile have conducted 10G-PON tests and pilot offices, and leading equipment vendors - including Huawei - have developed prototype devices for 10G-PON. Optical module vendors, including Neophotonics, Source Photonics, and Hisense, have developed 10G-PON-compliant optical modules. Analysts expect the industry’s concerted efforts to catalyze the launch of 10G-PON products on a small scale in 2011 to meet soaring bandwidth demands.

During the standard-setting process, Yoichi Maeda was deeply impressed by China’s strength. This was evidenced by the number of Chinese operators and vendors participating in the 10G-PON standard from the outset, and also by the increasing number of Chinese firms joining FSAN.

In pa r t i cu l a r, Mr. Maeda wa s impressed by Huawei’s contribution. “I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Huawei’s contribution and leadership in the G-PON and XG-PON1 standardization work, not only in the high-va lue proposals, but also in the administrative tasks, I think Huawei encourages all PON vendors to work collaboratively for ITU-T standards.”

Expert’s Forum

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

10G PON: steady steps towards commercial use

Evolutionary roadmap for PON technology

n addition to the narrowband PON and BPON technologies developed by the ITU-T last century, the evolution of PON technology has

three other stages starting with the past and the next decades.

Stage 1: In 2001 and 2002, the IEEE and FSAN/ITU-T proposed EPON and GPON concepts, ushering PON technology into the 1Gbps era. Since 2004, when Japan first adopted EPON technology, both EPON and GPON technologies and the ecosystem have matured. Deployed on a massive scale, the two technologies emerged as market leaders during the next three years.

Stage 2: As the 1Gbps PON technology became increasingly matured, the IEEE and FSAN/ITU-T began researching 10G PON technology in 2008, signifying the beginning of the 10Gbps era.

The IEEE continued with the previous technology roadmap that slightly extends Ethernet technology, and released the 10G EPON standard in September 2009. Soon after, the ITU-T launched an initiative to set 10G GPON standards ba s ed on the GPON techno logy roadmap and formulated a series of standards in mid-2010. Driven by the

growing demand for bandwidth and increasing market competition and given a combination of industry maturity and cost, 10G PON technology is expected to be commercialized on a small scale in 2011 at the earliest.

Stage 3: Post-10G PON era. It remains unclear which technologies will be applied in the post-10G PON era. The IEEE has stayed at the forefront of PON technology research efforts, but has no plans to delve into this area. FSAN has explored the topic but has yet to arrive at any concrete conclusions. WDM and WDM/TDM-based technologies may represent the trend, but OFDM and OCDMA technologies are the likely candidates in the PON area.

Standardization and ecosystem of 10G PONStandardization progress

10G PON inher i t s the XPON technology roadmap. The IEEE has drafted 10G EPON specifications (802.3av) based on the EPON standard and i s current ly deve loping 10G EPON interoperability specifications (SIEPON). The ITU-T has established GPON-based 10G GPON technology specif ications (G.987.x) and 10G

By Ao Li

The June 2010 ITU-T SG15 Meeting in Geneva concluded with the ratification of a series of 10G GPON international standards. In Sep 2009, the 10G EPON standard was approved by the IEEE. Those ratifications marked the standardization of the two leading PON technologies – 10G EPON and 10G GPON – is now almost complete. Also, the research on 10G PON technologies has reached a whole new level within just two years. The industry is placing high expectations on the ecosystem maturity and commercialization of 10G PON.

10G PON: Steady steps towards commercial use

Ao Li currently serves as the member of the Chinese expert panel in ITU-T SG15, Vice-director of the Communications Standards Research Center of the China Academy of Telecommunication Research at Ministry of Information and Industry Technology, Vice-chairman and AN workgroup leader of the Transport Network and Access Network Technology Committee of China Communications Standards Association.

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G P O N O N U m a n a g e m e n t a n d maintenance specifications (G.988).

Service interoperability is essential for resource sharing across the global industry chain. In November 2009, the IEEE formed an SIEPON workgroup to draft a global interoperability standard for 10G EPON, hoping to eliminate the interoperability bottleneck in global development. Based on the existing EPON enterprise standards of operators like China Telecom and NTT, SIEPON expects the 10G EPON standard to be swiftly deployed once it becomes available in 2012. Currently, the regional service interoperability standards are being drafted, tested and verified.

10G GPON differs from 10G EPON. In terms of service interoperability, the 10G GPON standard has matured globally. As there are few 10G GPON devices available, service interoperability testing and verification has not even started.

Ecosystem development

In addition to standardization, t e l e c o m o p e r a t o r s a g g r e s s i v e l y researched and explored ways to put the 10G GPON standard into industrial applications in 2009 and 2010.

10G EPON: China Telecom organized a chip interoperation test in 2009. China Unicom and China Mobile also conducted technical assessment tests in the first half of 2010 and pilot projects intended for technical research are also underway. These efforts have paved the way for operators to introduce 10G EPON technology and formulate enterprise standards and testing specifications.

According to the results of current tests, the 10G EPON ecosystem needs further development. Core chips are not all ASIC-based yet. We expect there would be two or three chip vendors, such as Broadcom, PMC, and Opulan, are going to provide a complete range of ASIC chip solutions, including OLT and ONU in the middle of 2011. And ASIC chips for use in OLTs will be available in the second half of 2010.

10G GPON: To explore the potential

the broadband access market. In response, operators will step up efforts to construct and upgrade fiber access networks, making 100Mbps fiber home access possible.

Due to its high population density, the country is relying heavily on FTTB. Each OLT port supports 256 or up to 512 subscribers, compared with 1/2.5Gbps for xPON. The EPON technology provides an average of 8Mbps for each subscriber given a 50% concurrent access rate, compared with an average of 20Mbps per GPON subscriber. This falls far behind the demand for ultra-high bandwidth of 50Mbps or more and leads operators to embrace 10G PON technology.

Under the FTTB model, the cost is relatively lower. Optical modules and MAC chips in MDU equipment account for only 20% of the total cost. Additionally, the cost is shared by scores of subscribers and is thereby reduced. FTTB is the most robust scenario for 10G PON technology during the first three years of deployment.

In response to the convergence in three networks policy, Chinese operators are planning to adjust the strategy and aggressively promote FTTH/O deployment. Whether 10G PON will become a leading FTTH technology depends largely on the cost factor in addition to technology and equipment maturity. The 10G PON cost must be steeply reduced.

In particular, the cost of the 10G PON ONU should be lowered to close to the cost for GEPON/GPON ONU over the short term. Notably, the price of 10G PON optical modules and MAC chips are several times higher than GEPON/GPON modules. Given a convergence ratio of 50% and a split rate of 1:32, GEPON/GPON technology can increase the average FTTH bandwidth per subscriber to 50Mbps/100Mbps or more. This lowers the aggregate cost per subscriber to a fully acceptable level for the market. Editor: Liu Zhonglin liuzhonglin@huawei.com

of the technology, European, U.S. and Chinese operators, like Verizon, FT, TI, Telefonica, PT, China Mobile, and China Unicom, have organized 10G GPON technical assessment tests, which were attended by leading equipment vendors including Huawei.

Currently, a laboratory sample has been developed for the 10G GPON system, which uses a FPGA-based core chip. In addition, 10G/2.5G optical modules with optical power exceeding 30 dBm are available. Recently, some chip makers announced plan to provide ONU and OLT ASIC in the second half of 2011. However, in general, the 10G GPON ecosystem still remains immature.

The outlook for 10G PON in China

Restricted by a limited demand and high cost, the 10G PON technology will be applied first in FTTB scenarios. In China, the national policy of convergence in three networks (telecom, Internet and broadcast) is set to intensify competition in

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IPTV, HDTV, 3D services, and video conferencing are among the applications that epitomize the new ultra-broadband era and demand great things from broadband access networks. FTTx has emerged as a high capacity, wide coverage, and low cost solution that is eco-friendly and can smoothly bear video services. Backed by mature technology, reduced costs, government support, and increasingly open policies, FTTx is the new optimum choice for operators.

By Zhou Feng & Liu Zhonglin

The age of fiber

The age of fiber: FTTx heralds the ultra-broadband era

FTTx heralds the ultra- broadband era

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l oba l Indu s t r y Ana l y s t s predicts that the number of FTTH/B users wil l reach 183.9 million by 2015, and

that this upsurge will be powered by greater bandwidth demands, the growth in bundled services, and the replacement of copper with fiber.

FTTx heralds the ultra- broadband era

billion pounds for its fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) network, with deployment scheduled for 2012. In March 2009, Deutsche Telekom (DT) announced a 3-year investment package totaling 10 billion euros in fiber optics, new mobile communications technologies and IT processes. The German operator is also seeking to increase the number of FTTH users to 4 million by 2012.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Japan had already passed 13 million households with FTTH by the end of 2009 to decisively lead the region’s FTTx field. In 2006, Singapore initiated its 700–mil l ion-USD iN2015 s t rategy to construct a nationwide FTTH network during 2010–2012.

In t h e Mi d d l e E a s t , t h e UA E announced that Abu Dhabi is now the world’s first capital to be entirely wired with fiber. As a regional technology leader, Etisalat plans to construct a nationwide FTTH network by 2011. Additionally, nationwide fiber networks are currently – and rapidly – being built in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

FTTx network construction in China began in 2007. The big three – China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom – have all initiated massive FTTx deployment schemes, totaling tens of millions of lines. In 2010, China kicked off its ambitious plan to converge telecommunications, broadcasting and the Internet, which is underpinned by a 150 b i l l ion RMB (about 22 billion USD) investment to boost fiber broadband rollout over three years. Thanks to government support, FTTH construction in China sits confidently poised for large-scale inception.

However, FTTx rollout is not a cut and dried exercise in simplicity: Service providers require guaranteed fair and open network access, the networks themselves need to be rapidly deployed to be viable, and CAPEX and OPEX – as ever – have to be minimized. Etisalat, Singapore’s Nucleus Connect and China Mobile provide us with valuable lessons from their FTTx deployment endeavors.

Global trends testify to the above analysis: In the U.S., Verizon is planning to extend its FiOS service to 18 million homes with a GPON-based FTTH network. In Europe, BT has accelerated its optical network rollout, and has a l ready begun dep loy ing FTTH. The British giant has earmarked 1.5

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Etisalat: building a flagship network

Boasting impressive skyscrapers and a plethora of luxury hotels, the UAE is a place of miracles. Its rapid economic development has doubled its population in just 7 years till 2010, and the region constantly attracts wealthy globetrotters, including models, movie stars, artists, and business executives.

Inevitably, these factors strain the region’s telecom services, and pose challenges for Etisalat, the Middle East’s leading integrated te lecom operator. Etisalat supplies over 32 million customers in 14 countries with mobile, fixed line, Internet, and cable TV (CATV) services. To consolidate i t s leading posit ion, the operator recently quickened its pace in the broadband access field. When it comes to technology choice, both ADSL and ADSL2+ fail to meet increasing bandwidth demands, and VDSL2 inefficiently covers remote and scattered residential communities. The UAE already benefits from rich fiber resources that connect most buildings. Based on this, Etisalat turned its eyes to GPON-based FTTH.

Aiming to offer rich, high-quality broadband services to guests from all over the world, Etisalat and Huawei deployed a SingleFAN FTTx solution that will deliver diverse broadband services, including voice, high-speed Internet access and HD IPTV to Burj Khalifa, the tallest ever man-made structure.

Highly reliable, easy to maintain, and friendly to full-service operations, GPON is a lso Etisa lat’s preferred choice for the enterprise market; when connected to its 3G base stations, an access network is created for home, enterprise, and mobile services.

Higher capacity, fewer exchanges

Prior to FTTH deployment, Etisalat used various types of access equipment and required a large number of copper-based central offices, each covering a radius of less than 6km. Complex networks are difficult to maintain and increase OPEX. Consequently, Etisalat prioritized simple network architecture during the FTTH planning stage, realizing that it could leverage GPON’s wide coverage to build a higher capacity FTTH network with fewer exchanges.

Fiber access can extend to 20km, and a single office can serve tens of thousands of users. Etisalat’s analysis cu lmina ted in an ac t ion p l an to replace its copper l ines with fiber through FTTH, and cut 2/3 of its legacy central offices. Huawei’s high capacity convergent OLT can support over 16,000 users with only a single subrack, which fully satisfies Etisalat’s

requirements.Increased s ingle node capaci ty

requires highly reliable equipment. The Huawei OLT adopts active/standby mode for the main control unit, uplink unit, and power supply to provide 360-degree protection. Thanks to 1+1 protection for the interfaces, system reliability reaches 99.999%.

To ensure rapid network deployment, Etisa lat used Huawei’s test lab to precisely mirror and s imulate the network environment and perform an extreme capacity test on FTTH deployment. By the end of 2009, Et i s a l a t had dep loyed an FT TH network exceeding 1.4 million lines to create one of the world’s largest GPON-based FTTH networks.

Fast ODN deployment

According to its agreement with the government, Etisalat will cover Abu Dhabi and 80% of the UAE with FTTH by the end of 2010, before realizing 100% national coverage in 2012. Rapid ODN deployment is key to achieving this goal.

To deploy the ODN more efficiently, Etisalat is now using double-layered fiber division boxes. Outdoor and indoor engineering is clearly delineated

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by layer to define responsibilities and reduce faulty operations. Etisalat has also introduced a full product series with high-level protection to meet the UAE’s extreme climate. The dustproof outdoor cable transfer box features a protection level of IP65, and operates effectively even at 80°C. The indoor products are also dustproof, and provide enhanced service connection rates.

To boost engineering efficiency, Etisalat partnered with Huawei to train 1,000 network deployment staff in under four weeks. The two developed a scientific subcontractor management system, and updated indoor network dep loyment p roce s s e s t o c l a r i f y responsibilities.

To respond to different scenarios, such as new or old bui ldings and buildings with or without ducts, Etisalat flexibly applied Huawei’s solutions to double engineering efficiency.

Connecting the world’s highest building

On January 4, 2010, Burj Khalifa, the tallest ever man-made structure, was officially opened to the public. The 828m building represents a marvelous achievement in human history, and indicates the government’s decision to diversify its economic portfolio. The building boasts 1,044 luxury apartments, 49 floors of offices, and a 160-room Armani hotel.

E t i s a l a t w a s t a s k e d w i t h t h e c h a l l e n g i n g j o b o f p r o v i d i n g communication services for the building. Aiming to offer rich, high-quality broadband services to guests from all over the world, Etisalat and Huawei deployed a SingleFAN FTTx solution that will deliver diverse broadband services, including voice, high-speed Internet access, and HD IPTV.

The building’s opening ceremony was framed by a spectacular firework display, which not only marked the grandeur of Burj Khalifa, but also its strong technological positioning that embraces the ultra-broadband era with FTTx.

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Nucleus Connect: connecting an “intelligent nation”

Singapore launched the Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) master plan in 2006, with the aim of exploiting the true potential of ICT over the next decade. With government support, the master plan seeks to deploy and upgrade the nation’s fixed and mobile networks, and deliver broadband access to over 90% of households.

The Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) is the fixed part under the iN2015 master plan. The Next Gen NBN boasts a nationwide, open FTTH network that provides 100Mbps access and 1Gbps and beyond for residential users and enterprise users.

As a crucial component of iN2015, the network will carry existing and future data and communication services, including voice, IPTV, VOD, high speed Internet access, leased line service for enterprises, and mobile broadband services.

In April 2009, Nucleus Connect was selected to design, build and operate the active infrastructure of the Next Gen NBN. David Storrie, CEO of Nucleus Connect, believes that ensuring fair and open access for RSPs and reducing CAPEX are among the key factors to success. How did Nucleus Connect achieve these technically?

Fair and open access

Tradit ional ly, operators deploy networks and provide services, while all the network resources – including the VLAN, MAC, and multicast addresses – are internally assigned by operators.

Un d e r o p e n a c c e s s , i t i s t h e Operating Company (OpCo) who uniformly plans network resources for RSPs. Given that RSPs frequently join and leave the network, the OpCo has to constantly reallocate network resources. The OpCo also needs to implement hierarchical QoS to ensure fair access and bandwidth usage. As a result, network traffic can be controlled based on user, service and RSP.

Nucleus Connect selected a solution that realizes flexible flow classification

and VLAN switching. As a result, VLANs need not be re-planned when RSPs are changed. By selecting the OLT that supports hierarchical QoS, the operator can deliver differentiated service offerings.

Lower CAPEX and faster deployment

According to the government’s p lan, the FTTH network wi l l be commercialized by the third quarter of 2010 and then cover 95% of the nation by June 2012. Nucleus Connect had a tight schedule for network deployment.

An FTTH network with large-capacity offices and fewer network nodes would help to simplify O&M, while reducing costs on equipment room rental and O&M. Nucleus Connect decided to use high capacity OLTs to reduced CAPEX.

Partnering Huawei, Nucleus Connect planned and deployed a nationwide broadband network with an end-to-end solution, including the Metro router, OLT, and Ethernet switch.

Nucleus Connect a l so bui l t an integrated network management system

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(NMS) for network operation and service provisioning. The NMS provides adequate northbound interfaces that can rapidly connect with the third-party OSS/BSS. Moreover, the NMS supports unified management of data, transmission, and access devices to achieve visualized service provisioning and E2E service configuration. As a result, the service provisioning efficiency has been improved.

Following 16-month preparation, on August 31st of 2010, Nucleus Connect officially announced that it has commenced commercial operations to power infinite possibilities onboard Singapore’s Next Gen NBN. As its CEO David Storrie comments, “Today marks a historical moment not only for Nucleus Connect but a lso for Singapore’s infocomm future as we transform Singapore into a global city, an intelligent nation.”

China Mobile Zhejiang: full-service access made easy

After acquiring fixed-line assets and a 3G license, China Mobile has been busy converging its fixed and mobile services in readiness for full service operations. To cultivate a leading position in this new business area , China Mobi le Zhejiang needs to transform itself and address a range of challenges.

Despite being a mobile leader, China Mobile Zhejiang has yet to develop a fixed network. Doing so requires a highly experienced partner, which prompted the operator to join hand with Huawei. Utilizing Huawei’s strong R&D and E2E network capabilities, China Mobile Zhejiang has successfully planned and deployed its cutting-edge network and OSS through which it provides high-grade services.

Focusing on enterprise users

Accounting for 85% of the customer base of its virtual private mobile network (VPMN), government and enterprise users form a huge potential market for fixed services offered by China Mobile Zhejiang. Through FMC, China Mobile Zhejiang can sharpen its competitive edge among high-end customers.

Following 16-month preparation, on Aug 31st of 2010, Nucleus Connect

officially announced that it has commenced commercial operations to

power infinite possibilities onboard Singapore’s Next Gen NBN. As its

CEO David Storrie comments, “Today marks a historical moment not

only for Nucleus Connect but also for Singapore’s infocomm future as

we transform Singapore into a global city, an intelligent nation.”

To effectively explore the enterprise market, China Mobile Zhejiang and Huawei have innovated a new service portfolio, three examples of which are listed below:

Convergent private branch exchange (PBX): A virtual PBX supports various terminals and provides the following services: uniform phone number, voice portal, corporate phone directory, short-number dialing, voice PBX, call center service, corporate management, and contact member management.

Enterprise communication assistant: Includes VoIP, conference call ing, and data sharing. This service boosts conferencing efficiency and reduces toll call fees.

Convergent virtual private network (VPN): Enables fixed telephony, soft terminals, handset-sharing for the same number, and automatic call-switching. These functions combine to ensures that all incoming calls are answered quickly.

B y s t u d y i n g d o m e s t i c a n d international experiences and its own network and market positioning, China Mobile Zhejiang selected IMS and GPON to build its full-service access network.

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Editor: Liu Zhonglin liuzhonglin@huawei.com

Flexible FTTx access solution

Construction, however, still created many problems. Firstly, China Mobile Zhejiang realized that it had to meet varied market demands, with a GPON that provides access for di f ferent customer groups. For example, large enterprises prefer legacy fixed phone numbers and a PBX. Trade-oriented small SMEs favor a one-stop ICT solution, while small and medium manufacturers require just voice and broadband access.

Secondly, the GPON should provide hierarchical QoS and flexible access for various services, including broadband private line, E1 private line, VPN, voice, and communication assistant. Thirdly, many enterprises have internal networks with planned VLANs and class of service (CoS). As a result, ONUs are needed to simplify and unify network access.

China Mobile Zhejiang selected Huawei based on the latter’s flexible and customizable GPON and FTTx solutions, complete ONU product series, rich services and functions, and superior access scenarios. For example, the MA561x series suits SMEs with its high density voice and broadband access capabilities. The SRG also meets the demands of SMEs for one-stop

ICT solutions thanks to its built-in router, firewall, anti-virus software, and IP PBX. The OT928, which provides broadband and E1 private lines, is designed for large enterprises with LANs and PBX.

T h e H u a w e i F T T x s o l u t i o n incorporates several QoS mechanisms and provides a configurable service priority for MANs to ensure E2E QoS. The ONU supports VLAN translation and QoS remarks and, once applied as the enterprise gateway, can help China Mobile Zhejiang realize uniform network planning and management. The Huawei convergent OLT directly connects to the MAN and MSTP to reduce the number of convergent devices.

Centralized network management

ONU management and service provisioning differ in ful l-service a n d m o b i l e n e t w o r k s . C h i n a Mobile Zhejiang faced the issue that maintenance personnel would have to rapidly learn new technical skills to realize successful service provisioning and smooth network maintenance. As most maintenance personnel still need to improve their skills in fixed networks, the operator opted to simplify O&M,

lower the ski l l requirements , and eliminate the need for intensive training, thus reducing costs and complexity.

Based on the actual circumstances surrounding its live network, China Mobile Zhejiang deployed centralized ne twork management ac ro s s the province. As a result, the NMS helps pre-deploy network elements, and realize the automatic commissioning and acceptance of ONUs en masse. Engineers only need to visit the site once for installation tasks, after which they can commiss ion and accept site equipment through the NMS. As ONUs can be plug-and-play, the deployment workload was lowered and work efficiency was enhanced.

By the end of 2009, China Mobile Zhejiang had successfully deployed over 250,000 FTTx lines and attracted nearly 40,000 subscribers. By building a full-service access network with IMS and GPON, China Mobile Zhejiang has entered the enterprise market with differentiated services, and has successfully transformed itself into a full-service operator.

By the end of 2009, China Mobile Zhejiang had successfully deployed over 250,000 FTTx lines and attracted nearly 40,000 subscribers. By building an access network with IMS and GPON, China Mobile Zhejiang has successfully transformed itself into a full-service operator.

F T T x i s n o t m e r e l y a s i m p l e combination of network elements like optical line terminal (OLT), optical distr ibution network (ODN) and optical network unit (ONU), but requires E2E planning, design and solution-based testing.

Hu a w e i h a s b e e n c o n s t a n t l y expanding its product series, while building a state-of-the-art test lab to support E2E FTTx solutions testing. The l ab h e lp s Huawe i t o b e t t e r understand customers, provide better services and meet the increasing demand for large-scale FTTx deployment.

User experience-based testing

Technically speaking, communication devices are generally verified through black-box testing on an individual basis or through code-based white-box testing. In FTTx networks, new applications constantly emerge and the requirements are higher for E2E FTTx solution testing. For this scenario, the Huawei test lab focuses on the quality of an E2E FTTx solution, while enhancing user experience.

For HD v ideo se r v ice , bes ides other KPIs, factors like image quality and channel switching times are also important for a good user experience. In the FTTx deployment, user experience i s r e l a t ed to the a c tua l c ab l ing , site surveys, feedback, and service provisioning. During simulation testing, exceptions are recorded to improve the solution.

The test lab for the E2E FTTx solut ion i s fu l ly equipped with a network management system, upper-

layer server, router, convergence switch, PON device and terminal. A mirrored network can be established and test cases can be run on the network, verifying feasibility on the live network.

The lab has a mirrored network environment and high fidelity network s i m u l a t i o n f o r g l o b a l o p e r a t o r s including British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom and Etisalat. The mirrored network or simulation is updated according to the network of operators, providing timely backup for network upgrades, troubleshooting and introducing new features.

Large-capacity limit test

Etisalat first deployed FTTH in 2006 and is now one of the largest GPON-based FTTH networks in the world. Presently, China, Japan, and South Korea are also actively expanding their FTTH deployments.

Although the PON OLT features large capacity and high density, a live network can be more complex than originally anticipated. For example, abnormal packets, simultaneous user online/offline, network upgrades, service provisioning and data synchronization can severely impact OLTs under heavy traffic. The OLT should be carrier-class, and its capability needs to be verified in an advanced simulation environment and through limit tests.

In a large-capaci ty FTTx l imit t e s t , t h e l a b c a n p r ov i d e 4 , 0 0 0 optical network units and more than 500 MxUs. Reinforced by software simulation, the lab can simulate the traffic on OLTs at full capacity and then offer a solution to take care of operators’

FTTx requirements for the next three years.

A professional test team

In addit ion to strong hardware capability for full-service testing, the lab is staffed with a professional test team utilizing advanced techniques to understand and fulfill customer requirements. This highly experienced team of engineers continuously develops automation and simulation technologies geared to help operators enhance user experience.

In the lab, a large number of devices and testing instruments run 24/7, and the automated tests greatly boost efficiency. By collecting, analyzing, and abstracting traffic data, the lab simulates the traffic at different time periods and automatically adjusts the traffic volume. All test cases can be implemented in a high fidelity simulation environment.

Huawei test lab for E2E FTTx solutionsBy Wu Rui

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Main Topic

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The US has earmarked

7.2 billion USD to optimize broadband access.

British Telecom is to invest

2.5 billion pounds to

cover two-thirds of homes in the UK by 2015.

Fiber-optic broadband hits top gear

Fiber-optic broadband

hits top gearUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2010, “In today’s world, telecommunications are more than just a basic service – they are a means to promote development, improve society and save lives.” After massive 3G investments, an increasing number of countries are deploying fiber-optic networks to enhance competitiveness and spur economic development. With increasingly mature technology, FTTx is more than ready to give operators a competitive edge and a stronger market position.

By Li Heshun

Huawei Communicate

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France Telecom plans to

invest around 2 billion euros by 2015 in fiber optics.

Deutsche Telekom will

invest over 10 billion euros in fiber optics, mobile technologies and IT processes.

Etisalat plans to deploy a nationwide FTTH network in 2011, serving over

1 million customers.

China began to build FTTx networks in 2007, and will

invest over 22 billion USD in the fiber-optic field.

Singapore plans to invest

700 million USD by 2012 to build a nationwide FTTH network.

Australia has unveiled ambitious plans to develop their national broadband.

South Korea is to spend 152.3 billion USD to develop the ICT industry, with an FTTH/B subscriber

base of 9.23 million.

e-Japan strategy has helped Japan acquire17.14 million FTTH/B subscribers by the end of 2009.

Main Topic

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Broadband as a national strategy

ccording to Dr. Tim Kelly, the World Bank’s lead ICT policy specialist, broadband investment is a policy with “no

regrets”. World Bank research indicates that a 10% increase in the penetration of broadband can produce a 1.4% increase in GDP and quickly help it to rise.

An increasing number of developing countries have stepped up fiber-optic network deployment to build better ICT infrastructure and stimulate economic development. For countries with a lower per capita GDP, fiber-optic solutions provide an optimum choice due to the increasingly mature technology and a rising performance/price ratio.

In many emerging markets, FTTC, FTTB, and FTTH projects are implemented with governmental support, international aid, or bank loans. These future-oriented technologies can enhance communications infrastructure, while avoiding duplicate construction of copper-based networks.

Fiber-optic network deployment is strong in developed countries and accelerates economic development, promotes employment, creates greater telecom competition, while boosting the level of national competitiveness. The last-mile fiber-optic access can eliminate the bandwidth bottleneck resulting from twisted pair connections and accommodate future-oriented services like video communications & entertainment, telemedicine and distance learning.

In 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocated 787 billion USD to stimulate the economy, with 7.2 billion USD earmarked to optimize broadband access. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now developing a National Broadband Plan to ensure that every American can access the Internet.

Finland is the first country in the world to recognize broadband Internet access as the legal right of every citizen. Every permanent citizen has the basic

right of accessing 1Mbps broadband in the first phase, and 100Mbps broadband by the end of 2015. The objective of the project is to ensure that more than 99% of the population is no further than two kilometers from a 100Mbps fiber-optic cable network.

The Asia-Pacific region is also a major incubator of new technologies. To enhance the ICT infrastructure, governments in the Asia-Pacific region have enacted encouraging policies and some are directly investing in fiber-optic network deployment.

Japan has been leading the world with 17.14 million FTTH/B subscribers by the end of 2009. With strong support from the government, Japan has launched the e-Japan strategy, including deploying FTTH for high speed broadband access.

South Korea has also been actively engaged in fiber-optic network deployment. In September 2009, South Korea decided to spend 152.3 billion USD to develop IT convergence applications, software, key IT solutions, communications and the Internet over the next five years. By the end of 2009, South Korea had an FTTH/B subscriber base of 9.23 million.

Singapore plans to invest 700 million USD by 2012 to build a nationwide FTTH network, covering 95% of the nation, and then the entire population by 2013. Malaysia has also released its National Broadband Initiative (NBI), planning to invest 2.2 b i l l i o n

AUSD in FTTH deployment before 2015.

In addition, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, Qatar, and others have unveiled ambit ious p lans to deve lop the i r national broadband strategies.

A strong wave of investmentCable operators expanding ultra-broadband capacity

Technological development has enabled broadband services to generate higher returns, which in turn attracts many new players including cable operators, who provide ultra-broadband services by connecting fiber to buildings and then extending it via cable to homes.

In North America, Latin America, and Europe where cable TV penetration rate is high, cable networks provide not only TV services, but also broadband access for a large number of subscribers. Globally, about 20% of broadband connections are cable-based.

By 2013, Docsis3.0 technology is expected to prevail with 100Mbps access. Comcast, a leading US cable operator, plans to upgrade its network to Docsis3.0 by 2010, enabling 80% of subscribers to double their broadband access speed. In France, cable operator Numericable acquired 77% of the 40,000 FTTH

subscribers added in the first quarter of

Fiber-optic broadband hits top gear

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Mobile operators entering the fiber-optic field

Increasing competition in the mobile voice market has led to decreased ARPU and a higher churn rate. Fixed broadband can help mobile operators diversify their revenue portfolio, provide bundled services and retain customers. Many mobile operators have entered the fixed broadband field by building or acquiring fixed infrastructure.

In 2008, Vodafone acquired Arcor and turned it into a wholly-owned subsidiary. Arcor now is the second largest fixed operator in Germany with a 14% share in the broadband market. In 2008, Arcor deployed FTTC to enhance the broadband speed to 50Mbps, providing customers with services like HD IPTV and Internet access. As a result, Arcor has increased its market share year on year and showed a 30% increase in broadband customers.

China Mobile has been a leader in the Chinese mobile market. After acquiring the fixed network in 2008, it has become an integrated operator. They selected GPON as the major access technology for full-service operations and to diversify competitiveness. In next few years, China Mobile is expected to fully expand broadband access and move towards being a full-service operator by building their own fiber-optic network.

Mobily is the second largest mobile operator in Saudi Arabia. In 2007, it became an integrated telecom operator by acquiring fixed assets. Lacking copper infrastructure, they focused on fiber-optic deployment, rapidly expanding FTTH and expect to have 100,000 FTTH subscribers by the end of 2010.

By rapidly deploying fiber-optic broadband networks, mobile operators are entering the fixed broadband field and bringing more investment to the fiber-optic infrastructure.

Fixed operators are promoting FTTH deployment

With the advent of an ultra-broadband era, fixed operators are facing increased

challenges in terms of sustainable growth, competition and network deployment. Based on their substantial subscriber base and infrastructure, fixed operators are ramping up FTTH deployment to gain a more competitive edge in the market.

American operators have accelerated FTTH deployment to better cope with intense competition from cable operators. In particular, MSOs plan to offer 100Mbps access for customers and increase the pressure on incumbents like Verizon and AT&T.

In 2004, Verizon invested 23 billion USD to build an FTTH network, covering 18 million homes under the umbrella of the FiOS service. To date, the service covers 15.6 million homes. FTTH has enabled Verizon to increase ARPU when facing a declined fixed-line business. Dominating customer satisfaction surveys, FiOS has helped Verizon gain a substantial number of new broadband users and TV viewers.

In October 2009, British Telecom unveiled a plan to spend 1.5 billion pounds building an FTTC network that will cover 40% of UK homes before 2012. By the end of 2010, the FTTC network will cover 4 million homes. In 2010, British Telecom announced adding an additional 1 billion pounds to fulfill the ambitious plan of covering two-thirds of homes in the UK by 2015. BT has also accelerated FTTH deployment based on network infrastructure.

In March 2010, Deutsche Telekom unveiled a high-speed broadband plan, under which it will invest over 10 billion euros in the next three years in fiber optics, new mobile communications technologies and IT processes. It is projected that by 2012, there will be an FTTH subscriber base of 4 million covering 10% of all homes in Germany.

In Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 0 , t h e Fr e n c h government decided to spend 2 billion euros to improve the national broadband infrastructure and provide low-interest loans to encourage operators to build fiber-optic networks in large cities other than Paris. In February 2010, France Telecom announced a plan to invest around 2 billion euros by 2015 in fiber

optics and will roll-out ultra high-speed broadband in cities including Cannes, Montpellier and Orleans in 2010.

As a technology leader in the Gulf region, Etisa lat plans to deploy a nationwide FTTH network in 2011. In March 2010, Etisalat announced that more than 500,000 residential “Al Shamil” broadband subscribers have up to 30Mbps access speeds. By 2011, the subscriber base is projected to exceed 1 million and the broadband speed will reach 100Mbps.

Other operators such as Portugal Telecom, Telekom Austria, and Telecom Italia have also released their FTTx strategies and are prepared to launch nationwide fiber-optics networks.

Gaining momentum in China

China began to build FTTx networks in 2007 and showed remarkable progress in 2008 and 2009. In June 2010, China Mobile invited bids for 6 million FTTx lines. China Telecom and China Unicom are also expected to deploy and operate up to 10 million FTTx lines in 2010.

Prior to 2010, FTTB was the major FTTx network construction mode in China, with only a small number of FTTH trial projects being initiated. With the rapid development of the industry chain and reduced equipment and terminal costs, FTTH began to show its advantages in terms of cost and technology and is now set to be an optimum choice for fiber network deployment in China.

In 2010, the Chinese government announced plans to invest over 22 billion USD in the upcoming three years to converge telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet networks. Dr i v e n b y m a s s i v e g ov e r n m e n t investment, China’s FTTx network deployment will see exponential growth in the coming years. Editor: Li Xuefeng xuefengli@huawei.com

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Big screen, high bandwidth make the perfect combo

By Nan Ningxuan

Copper wiring has been used as the major transmission media since Bell invented the

telephone. But, it is now giving way to fiber media and fiber-based high bandwidth

network infrastructure is being constructed to transmit massive bits of data. For fixed

operators who want to stay on top, it is imperative to leverage bandwidth advantage

and build a conducive value chain. By providing superior big-screen user experience,

they aim to boost home user spending on telecom services and increase the efficiency

of enterprise users to improve their overall revenue.

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value chain, it is wise to keep an eye on this trend.

Extending pipeline value

Opera to r s have to an swer the question of how to extend their reach into high growth areas, such as cloud computing and terminals by fully utilizing their pipeline advantage.

In the high bandwidth era, there are three major challenges for operators: cost control, bandwidth growth, and service profitability. Naturally, finding profitable services is a primary concern.

Traditional telecom operators, whose operations are based on processes and standard operations, have a totally different DNA from trend setting and innovative providers of terminal and cloud computing services. Challenges to their organizational structure, process, and workforce are too severe for them to follow suit. Still, they can achieve a win-win situation with service and terminal partners by extending their pipeline-based value chain to cover terminals, pipelines and cloud computing services. E x p l o r i n g m e t h o d s t o c o m b i n e terminals and services with existing networks to change with the market landscape is certainly worth the effort.

For home subscribers, in addition to basic communications services, personalized services, l ike videos, music, and games are the most popular. Enterprise users look for solutions that can help them increase efficiency and productivity. It is critical for operators to provide these two categories of subscribers with respective solutions that meet their increasing demand for big-screen services. Once done, the revenue increases with the demand.

Operators can extend the value of their network pipeline to cloud computing and terminal services by offering digital family plans and all encompassing solutions oriented to SMEs. By partnering with service and content providers, they can jointly build a healthy value chain, creating a business

model to generate revenue from both partners and subscribers. The key here is to guarantee their subscribers’ service experience to create more opportunities for business partners and boost the pipeline’s profit from the partnerships.

Enriching home services

To boost home subscribers’ spending on services, operators must cater to their needs, understand and adapt to changing behavioral patterns. There is no doubt that subscribers prefer individualized content like videos, music and games with a strong preference for images over text. It is essential to meet personalized subscriber requirements by building a video-based open digital home service platform to generate revenues from long-tail services, rather than relying on killer applications.

According to France Telecom, a typical European subscriber spends 50 euros on telecom services, but spends 120 euros for a combination of telecom and multimedia services. Telecom operators should seek ways to get all of the 120 euros by launching entertainment, security, and amenities services on their digital home platform. To tap revenue potent ia l , France Telecom offers high-definition video content, time shift TV, and a bundle of multiple services for multiple scenarios.

Subscriber experience poses a key challenge for digital home services. The digital home concept has become a reality, but is far from perfect. Operators can launch an “iPhone on the Wall” platform, the application store for fixed networks. With this open and flexible service platform, as well as terminals, operators can meet various subscriber requirements and improve their experience by delivering enough bandwidth for services.

The service platform should be able to support IPTV2.0 functions, such as the application store, games, timed TV channel switching and recording, and video applications in various formats in

High-value shifting to apps and terminals

he era of high-bandwidth networks is here, with the bulk of data traffic coming from big screen video services

and bandwidth for each subscriber as high as 20 to 100Mbps. Over the next five years, network traffic will grow upwards of 50 to 100 times, exceeding Moore’s Law. The percentage of video traffic to network overall traffic will surge f rom 40% to 90% and i t i s likely that application developers will shift focus from pocket-size mobile phone screens to various big screen applications.

In the high bandwidth era, the components of the broadband value chain, the pipeline, terminal, cloud applications and service, will have changed priorities. The value of a pipeline will grow more slowly and may even decline, while the high growth area will move to terminals, cloud applications and services.

According to U.S. market statistics in Apri l 2009, Google, the c loud computing leader, had sales revenue of 23.65 bi l l ion USD from cloud applications and services, compared with a market capitalization of 182.1 billion USD. AT&T, the leading pipeline provider, reported sales revenue of 123 billion USD, compared with a market capitalization of 155.7 billion USD. Apple, the leading terminal vendor, generated 42.9 billion USD in revenue, compared with a market capitalization of 219.7 billion USD.

Pipeline providers earned more than cloud computing and terminal vendors but had lower market capitalizations. Their performance in capital markets has proven that high value and high growth areas are moving to services and terminals. Industry convergence has also increasingly blurred the boundaries between cloud computing, pipeline and terminal services and applications. For operators who want to be leaders in the

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and communication services, and a low-cost HD videoconferencing system delivering a quality experience. With the service platform, operators can also offer HD video content for big screens in public places, hi-fi digital transmission system for theatres, electronic healthcare and medical care and remote education services.

For example, the HD videoconferencing system, amid increasing globalization, can help enterprises that have a worldwide business presence, cut transportation, communication, and traveling costs, as long as they provide a guaranteed user experience. Once used widely, the system is predicted to reduce global gasoline consumption by 5% and save 1.5 billion USD annually.

The key to widely scaling the system is to lower the requirement for networking performance. For example, conference calls should remain unaffected in quality under a packet loss rate of 5% and remain uninterrupted despite a 20% packet loss rate and a network downtime of 20 seconds. In addition, different HD videoconferencing systems must be able to communicate seamlessly with one another to avoid overlapping of investment and low returns for enterprise users.

Another important high bandwidth application is to broadcast ads, shopping guides and weather, and various public events to a targeted audience in a timely manner. The information is transmitted through the operator’s video service platform to big screens located in shopping malls, on buildings, streets, and in public places which are broadband enabled. This keeps the information up to date and more relevant. In addition, the two-way video platform helps collect users’ response to advertising and information and make an effective evaluation.

Growing high bandwidth capability supports the development of many services, while the increasing demand for services drives broadband advances. As conditions vary with country and region, there is no set formula for services that can be profitable. However, an open service platform is a definite must for an operator to succeed.

Operators need to actively engage partners in the value chain and jointly create a mutually beneficial model to attract home and enterprise subscribers by developing a strong service platform and offering personalized services.

Editor: Liu Zhonglin liuzhonglin@huawei.com

addition to basic features, such as HDTV, program recording, VOD, and time shift TV. A large group of content and application partners are essential to success in providing digital home services.

In addition, user-generated content (UGC) is vital as IT development empowers any individual to develop a revolutionary application that suits a specific consumer group and swiftly promotes the application to the public. The semi-open home service platform must be able to attract a high number of developers to ensure an abundance of services.

According to AT&T, six of its top ten advantages over cable operators are closely related to their broadband service support platform. The platform provides an application running environment to support a wide range of digital home services and is open to operators and third-party developers. Operators can have very diversified home applications by sharing revenue with service providers.

Open and all-in-one service platform for SMEs

Enterprise users have long been a key revenue source for legacy fixed network operators. In 2009, BT generated 31% of its total revenue from enterprise services, compared with 26% for Deutsche Telekom. Gartner predicts that global telecom operators will achieve an annual compound growth rate of 4% in enterprise services, given the sluggish world economy.

As services and technologies advance, SMEs are coping with increasingly complex ICT services. Restricted by tight budgets and workforce, these enterprises demand attentive ICT services. Managed service and one-stop services are the major ones. Considering the huge number of SMEs and their varying demands, operators should provide an open service platform and multi-service gateway to accommodate varied enterprise requirements, providing SMEs with all encompassing services that were previously used only by large enterprises.

By serving SMEs, operators can transform their role from a pipeline provider into an integrated service provider. In addition to a range of basic services such as voice, data, coordinated office, and security, operators can utilize the enterprise application store on the service platform and provide SMEs with customized solutions to increase productivity and efficiency. These solutions include location-specific services, integrated information

Thanks for your reading, the electronic version and subscription information are available at www.huawei.com/communicate. Questions and suggestions may be directed to the editor concerned.

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The butterfly effect of AvatarWill 3D cause broadband demand to rocket?

By Huang Ye

As data networks shift to FTTx, 3D services are provided with a channel through which to enrich people’s home entertainment experiences. However, the opportunities of this phenomenon

are of course balanced by challenges.

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y the end of 2009, the epic sci-f i fantasy, Avatar, had g ros sed 2 .7 b i l l ion USD global ly. Its s tunning 3D

visuals took viewers to a whole new realm, deepening the cinematic sense of reality and immersion. The ripple effect of this 3D renaissance continues to spread.

Soon after Avatar had seared itself into the world’s conscience, Shenzhen hosted the 3rd China International 3D World Forum & Exhibition to showcase a variety of 3D applications such as displays, movies, games, and digital cameras and video cameras. A big hit with attendees, the exhibition served to evidence the public’s strong interest in all things 3D.

As data networks shift to FTTx, 3D services are provided with a channel through which to enrich people’s home entertainment experiences. However, the opportunities of this phenomenon are of course balanced by challenges.

Nascent 3D industry chain

According to DIGITIMES, over 60% of consumers are “extremely interested”, “very interested”, or at least “somewhat interested” in watching 3D videos at home.

The 3D industry chain comprises the following elements: service provisioning, c o n t e n t d e v e l o p m e n t , p r o g r a m channels, application software, content storage, transmission, playback, and image display.

The 3D image display area includes an extensive product line of 3D TVs, handsets, projectors, glasses, and head-mounted displays, with TVs and glasses currently forming the most vibrant market segments.

DisplaySearch forecasts that 10 million 3D TV sets will be sold in 2012. This will leap to 65 million in 2018, generating a 23 billion USD turnover. Equally, the sales predictions for other

B products in 2018 are high: 71 million handsets, 10 million display devices, 17 million notebooks, and 10 million digital cameras and video cameras.

Content providers are boosting investment in the 3D field. In early 2010, Britain’s Sky TV was first to broadcast live Premier League matches with 3D technology, and now the company plans to launch a dedicated 3D TV channel. The general consensus among soccer fans during the 2010 World Cup was extremely positive after watching some of the games in 3D: “It seemed as if the ball is flying straight at us after a shot on goal… The effects really are stunning!”

In China, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) w i l l f o rmu l a t e 3D t r an smi s s i on s tandards , whi le the Mini s t r y o f Industry and Information Technology will establish TV equipment standards, according to sources with SARFT. And the preparatory work necessary to construct 3D TV channels is already underway.

Goodbye, 3D glasses

The distance between our eyes causes different images of the same object to form in the retinas of the left and right eyes. The brain processes the parallax between these different images to generate depth and three dimensions, and it is this process that 3D video technology seeks to replicate.

At present, 3D can be experienced either with or without glasses. Unlike the current trend in movie theaters, the industry expects that glasses will not be required to watch 3D at home in the future. The technique to achieve this involves having different images to enter the viewer’s left and right eyes by partially blocking the visual lines to the screen.

Currently there are two common technologies to display 3D images without glasses: Parallax Barrier and Lenticular. Technologies for 3D without

glasses, also enable multi-view display, which is especially of advantage in mobile environment, offering the potential for viewers to experience a fuller range of 3D images.

For example, to create a 2-view 3D image of a face, the left- and right-of-center images can be shot in advance to enable a frontal 3D image when viewed from directly in front of the screen. However, due to the lack of shooting angles, only a 2D image can be seen if the viewer moves to the left or right.

In contrast, multi-view 3D captures a broader range of 3D image angles, as a single object is shot from multiple angles. The front and sides of the face can be recorded and the 3D display will display both angles. When the viewer walks to the side, the 3D image – including even the ears can be seen. This technique gives a much stronger feeling of presence.

The industry’s leading TV vendors are already developing products with multi-view technologies, ranging from 4 to 30 views. As the number of views increases, however, the size of video files will be much larger than the currently dominan t 2 - v i e w v ideo . Highe r transmission and access bandwidth is thus needed to transmit multi-view video coding (MVC) files across a network.

Challenges facing MVC

In 2001, the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) set up a 3D audiovisual working group to define the application s cope o f 3D AV and t o d eve l op standards for key technologies, focusing on MVC. To date, MVC technology has been extensively used in FVV, FTV, 3D TV, and 3D Video. The Blu-ray Disc Association has selected MVC for 3D Blu-ray discs, and MVC format will replace the complementary color 3D format used in Blu-ray discs in the second half of 2010.

As an extension of H.264, MVC has inherited the former’s superior

The butterfly effect of Avatar

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performance attributes: high quality coding efficiency, free coding structure, and sol id network af f ini ty. MVC also benefits from additional coding tools that enable t ime scalabi l i ty, viewpoint scalability, and illumination compensation.

While MVC is very suitable for 3D video compression, the traffic per view it generates is between 30% and 80% higher than equivalent 2D AVC content. MVC data traffic increases multiple times as more cameras are used to shoot different viewpoints. To realize the effective compression of massive data volumes and real-time interaction with users, various challenges exist with MVC data processing, storage capacity, and network transmission capacity.

3D unleashes massive bandwidth demand

The standardizat ion of the 3D sector and the maturity of the 3D industry chain will cause demand for bandwidth to soar and inject new vitality into networks. For example, 8-view “naked eye” 3D TV requires a transmission rate of between 50 and 100Mbps. The industry has been continually improving the existing 3D compression algorithm and, as the number of home TV channels and 3D views increase, 100Mbps will become the basic access requirement for future high-end home customers. The demand for high bandwidth will explode and raises higher requirements for network transmission and exchange, access, and home interconnection technologies.

Including Korea, Germany, and Britain, many developed countries l a u n c h e d n a t i o n a l b r o a d b a n d development strategies in 2009 that centered on high bandwidth fiber

optic access. In April 2010, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the Guidelines for Accelerating the Pace of Optical Fiber Broadband Network Construction. The document stipulates China’s intention to expedite optical fiber broadband network cons t ruct ion , boos t the nation’s information infrastructure, and formulate and refine regulatory measures for optical fiber broadband network construction.

Looking ahead, global operators are driving towards a new fixed network era featuring high bandwidth and 3D video. Huawei is poised to move confidently with operators into this high bandwidth age.

Editor: Pan Tao pantao@huawei.com

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China Telecom shares its FTTH recipe

Bringing Shanghai up to speed

Zhang Jun, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Telecom Shanghai: “The FTTH rollout is a revolution. It will not only radically transform the traditional technology, operation and maintenance and service provisioning, but also pose daunting challenges for the organizational structure and human resources management of operators .”

By Pan Tao

apan, a country separated from China by a single body of water, leads the world in broadband speeds and penetration, with an

average bandwidth speed of more than 60Mbps in 2009, a downlink rate of more than 90Mbps, and more than 17.14 million FTTH/B customers. In comparison, Shanghai, China’s most economically advanced city had only an average of 2Mbps in 2008. This meant China Telecom, Shanghai’s major fixed service provider, had not only great room for improvement, but also a vast opportunity.

China Telecom Shanghai officially embarked on its MONET (Metro Optical Network) plan in June 2009. With an investment of 880 million USD, this initiative aims to enable 100Mbps speeds to homes, gigabit access to office buildings, and Tbps in Egress by 2012.

The plan features an access network, a metropolitan access network (MAN), and a backbone network. A key project o f China Te lecom Shangha i , the operator will be using the network to connect 1.5 million households by 2010 and extend coverage to the entire city by 2012. Why did China Telecom, a pioneer in fiber access in China, choose FTTH? And what positive lessons can other operators take from this experience? Zhang Jun, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Telecom Shanghai, shares his insights.

The time is ripeAccording to Zhang, three factors –

lower costs, the need to promote new

services and pressure from competition – make the present moment the ideal time to roll out FTTH in Shanghai. “By the end of 2010, the MONET of China Telecom Shanghai will cover 1.5 million homes and offices – comprising 1 million FTTH and 0.5 million FTTB connections,” says Zhang. “Our goal is to get 300,000 MONET subscribers (at least 200,000 of whom are FTTH) this year.”

Lowered costs

Back in 2005, FTTH cost about 730 USD per line; now the cost has dropped nearly 70% and is close to that of DSL or FTTB. “FTTH cost has been greatly reduced and is ready for mass market deployment,” says Zhang. “The FTTH deployment cost can be further lowered when the actual installation rate is considered. The cost of connecting a household with FTTH, when shared, would be about 73 USD. It is more expensive, though, when the optical network unit (ONU) is used.”

“The initial investment in FTTH can be reduced with a ‘light coverage’ – which means that while optical fiber needs to be deployed only once, the installed optical splitters, which should be of modular design, can be upgraded gradually. For example, in a building with 12 households, a 1:8 optical splitter can be first installed for 8 subscriptions, while more can be installed later if there are additional subscriptions. For an old community, a 1:4 optical splitter is first installed, and then a 1:8 splitter, if required. As the subscriber base increases over time, a gradual upgrade will help save initial investments greatly.”

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New service growth needed

Zhang points out the large broadband gap that currently exists between Chinese cities and developed cities overseas – The average bandwidth in domestic cities is about 2Mbps, while that in some cities in Japan and South Korea is over 50Mbps. In addition, service revenue growth is a lso a chal lenge for broadband operators.

“Nowadays, broadband penetration in Shanghai has exceeded 60%, leaving less room to grow revenue through subscriber acquisition,” he says. “Broadband service providers need to enhance their revenue with richer value-added services and smarter use of their bandwidth resources.”

Under the “e Surfing Broadband” brand, China Telecom Shanghai is introducing an IPTV package to attract more subscribers, which provides HD TV, HD movies, and standard definition TV services. This new 50Mbps IPTV offering has attracted a few dozen people till date, but the operator plans to further enrich its offerings by providing 100Mbps packages by late 2010.

Staying ahead of the competition

Shanghai, an international metropolis and a developed financial hub in China, is no doubt an attraction for service providers. China Telecom Shanghai has made outstanding achievements over the past years; for example, it launched Shanghai’s first “digital park” and realized convergence of the telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet networks. Zhang believes that FTTH is the ultimate goal of broadband network evolution, and speeding up FTTH rollout is the only way for China Telecom Shanghai to stay head of fierce competition.

Recipes for success

China Telecom Shanghai can now deliver FTTH services to its subscribers within three days, and this includes device installation, indoor wiring and service provisioning; more than 90% services can be activated automatically. “A team of two engineers can connect 4-5 households with FTTH per day,” says Zhang. This high level of efficiency has enabled China Telecom Shanghai to draw 35,000 subscribers to its MONET services from May 2010 to July 2010. “All this is thanks to the management and efforts of our employees; the success also embodies our innovative spirit, improved procedures, and attention to the project details,” he adds.

Innovation-based transformation

Boasting a large local access network, China Telecom Shanghai needed an optical distribution network (ODN) to accommodate various PON technologies. Its innovative spirit helped it build the ODN, and thus made the operator ready for the FTTH revolution in Shanghai.

Innovative designs: China Telecom Shanghai has adopted single splitting in villa areas, with two-level splitting in other areas. “We originally used single splitting for all areas, but after comparing costs and efficiency, we found that two-level splitting has lower costs and higher efficiency,” says Zhang. “For this reason, we chose two-level splitting in apartment complexes, old neighborhoods and rural areas while using single splitting in villa areas, where buildings are less densely distributed.”

Innovative specifications: China Telecom Shanghai has developed 14 specifications for FTTx networking, resource and service configuration, engineering and acceptance, Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, and more. “These specifications can help solve practical issues encountered in network rollout and service provisioning,” adds Zhang.

Innovative products: To accommodate its fast-growing MONET, China Telecom Shanghai has also developed nine homemade products, including a fiber distribution terminal (FDT) without patch cords, a splitter box for corridors, and a home information box. Following the standard specifications, the products have standardized components, and the modules can be easily exchanged.

“In the past, the fiber pigtails of a box-shaped splitter were exposed and could be damaged by repeated engineering work during service activation,” says Zhang. “In that case, we would have to replace the whole splitter. The new splitter is equipped with blades and adapters, saving space and not requiring replacement because of damaged fiber pigtails.” Adopting a modular design, the splitter can also be fitted into any of the operator’s fiber distribution equipment.

Zhang also detailed China Telecom Shanghai’s unique fiber distribution equipment. According to him, optical cables generally have many connections, terminations, and branches when routed from the central office to end users. Both the feeder cable and distribution cable normally have to be terminated, with a patch cord connecting two adapters to continue the optical path.

However, China Telecom Shanghai’s equipment is different in the sense that only the feeder cable is terminated, and the distribution cable is fusion spliced rather than terminated. The distribution cable is stored in the fiber spool box and is connected to the feeder cable

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Sometimes if the engineers use ethanol or cotton to clean the fiber, or bend the fiber pigtails in a smaller radius, service provisioning can be easy,” he adds.

To so l ve th i s p rob l em, Ch ina Telecom Shanghai spent two months building a comprehensive training c e n t e r f o r F T T x d e p l oy m e n t a t Nanxiang, a town in Shanghai. The first of its kind in China, the training center has trained more than 2,000 copper engineers, getting them ready for fiber rollout. The operator also arranged visits and workshops for its sister companies.

Ac c o rd i n g t o a s e n i o r O & M manager at China Telecom Shanghai, if the engineers wear white gloves and take ethanol and cotton with them for indoor visits, then it is a sign that the FTTx training has worked. Zhang agrees, noting that professional training is key to the fiber transformation.

“We have our own ideas and develop the network and product specifications by ourselves,” he adds. The independent R&D has enabled China Telecom Shanghai to gain a deep understanding into the specifications and details, and to become a leader in the FTTx field. Success lies in the details – that is the operator’s FTTx motto.

As a key project of China Telecom S h a n g h a i , M O N E T w i l l h e l p transform the operator’s copper-based broadband network to fiber-based. The transformation in technologies, O&M and service provisioning will also bring changes to the operator’s organizational structure and human resources. “With the convergence of the telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet networks, China Telecom Shanghai will enhance its effort in technology innovation and network transformation. As a result, we will contribute and enhance the information development in Shanghai,” Zhang concludes.Editor: Zhang Yufen zhangyufen@huawei.com

using adapters when required. These practices bring benefits: for example, saving costs in adapters and patch cords, reducing faulty links, and lowering attenuation by 0.3dB to 0.5dB. As at least four to five terminations and fiber-distributions are required by an ODN, the above-mentioned practices help stretch the transmission distance by 4 to 5km.

China Telecom Shanghai’s unique f iber di s t r ibut ion equipment,has won it two awards from the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) and the Shanghai Government.

Innovative O&M: After evaluating technologies, costs and actual needs, China Telecom Shanghai has adopted an innovative optical power detection system, instead of using the optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) to characterize an optical fiber.

OTDR entails high investments – about 148 million USD is required for a MONET connecting 5 million households. OTDR also needs strict management, as different fibers under a splitter are restricted to a specific distance. “However, since subscribers are added gradually, who can predict the distance among fibers, and also is a precise distance an absolute must?” asks Zhang.

In China Telecom Shanghai’s optical power detection system, if the optical power budget of a subscriber deviates from the set range, the system can detect which ONU is faulty. If the optical power budgets of multiple ONUs deviate simultaneously, the system will initiate a logical analysis to locate the faulty splitter. Says Zhang: “Assume that the two-level splitting is installed in the corridor. If four subscribers report faults simultaneously, it is certain that optical cables between the level-1 splitting and the level-2 splitting have problems. If only one subscriber reports faults, the problem should be in the line segment between the corridor and the subscriber. China Telecom Shanghai has a geographic information system (GIS) to display all the topology of cables and optical fibers, yet we still need to improve data accuracy.”

T h e o p e r a t o r f u r t h e r u n i f i e s data under an integrated resources management system, which helps to match the physical information of optical fibers and cables. In this case, fault location can be more accurate in a line segmented by branch connectors.

To build the optical power detection system, China Telecom Shanghai joined hands with vendors to replace over 4,000 PON cards before the opening of Shanghai World Expo in May 2010. This has enabled optical power detection in all PON ports of the OLTs. The operator has developed an ODN fault diagnosis system based on optical power detection, and plans to adopt it for its entire network.

China Telecom Shanghai is also exploring an ODTR-based ODN fault diagnosis system for business users. The adoption will depend on technology maturity, price and efficiency.

Success lies in the details

FTTH rollout in new communities requires less engineering effort than in the older neighborhoods, and the former are thus the preferred target areas for operators. To tap the large market potential in older neighborhoods, China Telecom Shanghai spent several months studying the structures of old buildings, and developed tools , engineer ing techniques and specifications for FTTH rollout. China Telecom Shanghai has also referred to overseas operators’ experiences in FTTH deployment and found practical ways to enhance user experience.

Good preparation can help smooth network rollout, yet FTTH deployment still requires attention to many details. “For fiber rollout, engineers should be skillful and they need to use special tools and instruments,” says Zhang. “All these may beyond the capabilities of an engineer accustomed to copper cables.” Optical fibers should not be squeezed, stretched, or bent excessively – and this is something copper cable engineers do not usually know. “So we encountered lots of difficulties in the initial fiber rollout.

China Telecom shares its FTTH recipe: bringing Shanghai up to speed

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How to Operate

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

By Li Enhong, China Telecom Xi’an

All-optical access objectives

y the end of 2009, China Telecom’s fixed subscriber base had shrunk 14% in two years to 189 million, while its

broadband subscriber base had grown steadily to 53.46 million. Statistics show that China’s Internet access rate averages only 1.744Mbps, ranking it 71st in the world and leaving a lot of room for improvement. China Telecom has planned to make the 4Mbps bandwidth available to cities nationwide in 2010 and 20Mbps over the next 3-5 years, as part of its move to offset profit losses due to declining fixed services and call charges. It also hopes to upgrade its fixed network infrastructure for future growth.

Its broadband access objectives include:

Bto increase the fiber penetration rate for urban commercial buildings to 100%; to provide home subscribers with downlink bandwidths of 8 to 20Mbps and deliver fiber to the home (FTTH) access in developed areas; to extend fiber access to buildings in new urban areas with a focus on PON-based fiber to the building (FTTB) and FTTH construction and limit the distance of existing copper access in urban areas to 500 meters to give subscribers downlink broadband access at 20Mbps or faster; to bring fiber access to basically all villages in central and eastern rural areas of China and 80% of those in western rural areas, providing subscribers in fiber-covered villages with downlink access speeds of 4Mbps or higher.

As part of this effort of China Telecom Group, China Telecom Xi’an began to build an FTTx network in 2007. The initiative coincided with the city of Xi’an’s

metro system construction in the same year, which required China Telecom Xi’an to relocate two major tandem offices. The operator employed an integrated FTTx broadband access solution to redistribute all the voice and data access services in these two tandem offices to sub-offices within the coverage area, and planned to complete the deployment by stages over a 3-year period. This turned a new chapter in its mass FTTx deployment.

Network planning: early adoption of advanced technology

The FTTx network plan of China Telecom Xi’an is future-proof, taking into account the well-coordinated development of its entire network. To be specific, different network aspects require different priorities: bandwidth for the MAN, distribution for OLT offices, access capabilities for ONU sites, and sufficiency for fiber optic resources.

First, the MAN bandwidth must be sufficiently large – Service bandwidth will have to increase substantially with the fast growth of fiber-optic subscribers. Insufficient MAN bandwidth may result in degraded QoS and higher costs for future network optimization, so China Telecom Xi’an is adopting four 40×10Gbps OTN rings that can smoothly evolve to 80×10Gbps.

Se cond , OLT o f f i c e s mus t b e appropriately distributed. China Telecom Xi’an has deployed OLT offices according to the fiber channel resources available in the tandem offices and coverage distances

The end of 2009 saw China Telecom Xi’an’s FTTx penetration rate at 26%, with over 20,000 optical network units (ONUs). Its optical line terminals (OLTs) covered 90% of Xi’an, giving the operator a wealth of experience in FTTx network planning and construction.

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to deliver coverage over a distance of up to 8km in urban areas and 16km in the suburbs. In addition to having large capacity, OLT equipment must support robust convergence to reduce convergence switch costs, flatten the network structure, and improve access capability.

An existing ONU usually provides 48 to 256 ports. ONUs offering higher integration can simplify access point location and reduce power consumption. The ONU should also provide diverse ports such as ADSL2+, VDSL2, FE, and POTS ports, plus support hybrid installation in any slot to facilitate service provisioning and O&M.

FTTx optical lines must be planned in advance to guarantee smooth FTTx construction. China Telecom Xi’an began to plan FTTH in 2008, hoping to bring FTTH access to 70% of the new buildings in 2010.

Network construction: technology innovation for higher ROI

China Telecom Xi’an is devoted to researching and utilizing new technologies. It was China’s first operator to introduce innovative technologies such as integrated fiber/copper access equipment, plug-and-play (PnP) MxU, and triple-mode self-adaptive ONT. While reducing total network equipment costs, these technologies have brought about significantly more cost-efficient O&M. Over the years, the operator has profited handsomely from innovative technologies like FTTx.

Preparing for changes

Given the current coexistence of EPON and GPON, China Telecom Xi’an has become the first to utilize integrated OLTs across the province of Shaanxi and support the co-installation of GPON/EPON boards in the same subrack. By simply replacing EPON service boards with GPON service boards, the operator can deliver higher access bandwidth (12-25Mbps for high-

end bandwidth-hungry customers) and better user experience for voice services. More importantly, these two interface boards can be centrally managed and configured through the same NMS.

The ONT/ONU triple-mode self-adaptive feature is highly suitable for China Telecom Xi’an. As the EPON, GPON, and GE optical modules support PnP, automatic system identification and configuration, they can help to drive down equipment costs and ease installation and maintenance. Previously, China Telecom Xi’an provided GPON and EPON interfaces separately on each device so that customers could choose. With this triple-mode feature, the operator only needs to purchase one type of ONT module for use and backup. During installation, workers just need to ensure the required fiber output power while the NMS takes care of configuration and commissioning, making onsite installation much easier.

Increasing competitiveness through innovation

As a network convergence expert, China Telecom Xi’an employed PON to carry BTS services. The PON will replace the previous access rings to deliver BTS service bearer and backhaul. Compared with traditional methods, BTS service delivery over PON can significantly reduce the cost per bit for BTS data services, supply sufficient network bandwidth for mobile broadband development in the 3G era, and set the stage for fixed and mobile convergence (FMC). The GPON-based mobile bearer can actually reduce costs up to 50%.

To provide high bandwidth for high-end business customers, China Telecom Xi’an has pioneered the FTTB+VDSL2 model with remarkable success. Given a 250-meter subscriber copper wire, 35-meter twisted pair for home access, and download speed of 22Mbps, this model delivers extremely high IPTV QoS; at a download speed of 6Mbps, only 4 out of 10,000 packets are lost.

Currently, China Telecom Xi’an is promoting the FTTB+VDSL2 model.

By replacing VDSL boards with VDSL2 boards in the ADSL subracks, the operator has increased VDSL2 service distribution in mature cells. As ADSL and VDSL2 services are independent, the model helps to achieve smooth service evolution without extra costs and conduct maintenance in a simple, unified way.

Impressive achievements

The efforts of China Telecom Xi’an in FTTx deployments have paid off. In comparison with copper wire networks, FTTx networks have proven to provide stronger service capabilities with lower TCO, hence more competitive and profitable. The FTTx network has helped the operator save on TCO by 10% and cut copper wire investments by 87%, raising the broadband penetration rate from 3.2% to 19% in 2009 and boosting the network profitability by 80%.

The high level of integration from FTTx has allowed China Telecom Xi’an to slash the number of central offices from 45 to 15 and dramatically reduce real estate costs.

In the office at Xiaozhai, a busy and densely populated area on the southern outskirts of Xi’an, the test terminal was previously housed on the first floor of a building facing Chang’an Road to the east within a prosperous thoroughfare. After replacing copper wiring with optical fibers, the operator moved out the test terminal equipment and freed up a space of 560 square meters. The space was then converted into multipurpose business facilities including a smart business hall, a CDMA terminal sales outlet, and stores.

China Telecom Xi’an will accelerate its fiber deployment efforts to consolidate its FTTx network for the rest of 2010 to utilize its bandwidth advantages as part of a strategy to launch more service packages, continually improve subscriber experience, and achieve broadband access objectives.

Editor: Xue Hua xuehua@huawei.com

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By Wang Chong & Xiao Bingyan

ocated in the southeast of China, Quanzhou is one of Fujian province’s three prominent cities. An economic powerhouse, the city has boasted

the highest GDP for 11 consecutive years in the province. It is also well-known for being the ancestral home to many overseas Chinese and Han Taiwanese, who have long been an important driving force behind its socioeconomic development by establishing factories or sponsoring charities.

To improve the investment climate, IT infrastructure construction is picking up in Quanzhou, with optical access emerging as the mainstream broadband access mode. In 2006, China Telecom Quanzhou began researching fiber-optic access technology and developed an access layer ODN plan that trialed FTTx in one district, two towns, and three development zones. In 2009, the operator set the strategic goal of enabling 30Mbps services for residential users and 100Mbps services for business users. It has since been committed to building a highly competitive, all-optical network that can help local enterprises to evolve and grow.

The operator’s FTTx deployment has involved developing a long- term s t ra teg ic partnership with Huawei. As

China Telecom Quanzhou champions FTTx

part of the FTTx Strategy Research Program, both have jointly implemented research projects such as the Quanzhou FTTx Network Business Plan and Solution, Quanzhou ODN Planning and Construction Solution, Quanzhou FTTH Network Operations and Management Research Project, and Quanzhou FTTH Equipment Interface Standards Research and Equipment Functionality Improvement Project. Each has increased the experience of both parties and provided an insight into how to best optimize FTTx network construction, service provisioning, and O&M.

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Accelerating massive FTTx deploymentRapid large-scale ONU deployment

ONU deployment in an FTTx network is often hindered by a complex installation environment, enormous construction difficulties, a long deployment cycle, stringent skill requirements for installation personnel, and the need to dispatch software testing engineers to conduct onsite tests. Faced with such difficulties, China Telecom Quanzhou was struggling to formulate a viable project.

After jo int ly researching these challenges with the operator, Huawei developed a centralized NMS batch predeployment solution to achieve plug-and-play and automatic network equipment upgrades through a user-friendly unified ONU authentication technique. Equipment-specific data is deployed via a work form, and a configuration template is used for common da ta ; the se combine to accelerate the deployment process. This solution nicely fit the operator’s need for rapid, large-scale ONU deployment.

When deployment was complete, acceptance presented another challenge to China Telecom Quanzhou. The large number of distributed ONUs entailed multiple site visits during the acceptance process, resulting in low efficiency and a long acceptance cycle. Inexperienced acceptance personnel meant that equipment center personnel and even the project inspector frequently had to leave their duties to complete the procedure.

This prompted Huawei to develop a standard remote ONU acceptance solution for the operator. The solution allows testing engineers to conduct simulation tests for ONU broadband and narrowband services. Notably, it enables service personnel to remotely conduct service test and acceptance, monitor service status and locate any fault, significantly boosting the quality and efficiency of ONU acceptance.

Standardized ODN construction

As a vital part of the FTTx network, the ODN is pivotal in promoting FTTx services and improving ROI. In 2009, China Telecom Quanzhou identified nine research topics based on an in-depth analysis of domestic ODN construction experience, current network status, and future development trends. It then established a joint research project team with Huawei and local telecom design institutes to look into how to build a cost-efficient, highly scalable ODN that is easy to implement, manage, and maintain, and that can be smoothly migrated.

To effectively optimize and perfect E2E ODN specifications and provide effective construction guidelines for project subcontractors, the project team developed a complete ODN technology plan. Its content includes the ODN business development plan; new materials and new techniques; optical cable resource management; and specifications for des ign, lay ing opt ica l cables , standardizing equipment, installing and commissioning equipment, project acceptance, and O&M inspections.

Aiming to improve project quality and maintenance efficiency, China Te lecom Quanzhou was the f i r s t o p e r a t o r t o d e v e l o p t h e “ O D N construction standardization” concept to standardize ODN project acceptance and maintenance methods and reference indicators. Its ODN experience has greatly benefited other branches of China Telecom in Fujian.

Improving FTTx O&M efficiencyRapid and accurate network diagnosis

FTTx O&M statistics show 70% of faults occurring at the user side and 20% at the ODN side. Rapidly and accurately defining fault types can ensure that work orders are sent to the correct

maintenance personnel. China Telecom Quanzhou proactively approached O&M under a unified management system, which has significantly reduced the user complaint rate.

Alarm analysis: To assist maintenance personnel in sharing experience for professional competence improvement, China Telecom Quanzhou has sorted out and simplified the mass of ONU alarm types and strengthened alarm root-cause analysis. It has also provided each maintenance engineer with analysis guidelines and solutions for each alarm type, with the solutions recorded in the alarm knowledge database.

Fault diagnosis and location: China Telecom Quanzhou has used Huawei’s professional line test system to tackle problems such as the complex ONU environment, the large number of ODN passive nodes, and difficulties in fault location. Able to rapidly determine if a problem exists in the optical fiber or the ONU, the system cooperates with the ONU’s remote simulation test function to improve the fault location accuracy and shorten the troubleshooting time for improved customer satisfaction.

Remote network monitoring: China Telecom Quanzhou has a mass of equipment installed in a range of complex scenarios . To minimize labor and maintenance costs, the operator remotely monitors the ONU environments and environment/power alarms so as to enable real-time status queries. It uses a remote centralized monitoring system to monitor performance and status of OLTs and ONUs in upstream and downstream directions. The system has effectively alleviated the onsite maintenance burden by automatically detecting and reporting the xPON port status and optical module parameters, and by monitoring the temperature, offset current, voltage, and optical power.

Standard full-service distribution and unified automatic upgrade

Though FTTx supports full-service bearer, the BOSS cannot unify the

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distribution of Internet access, VoIP, IPTV, enterprise private l ine, and mobile bearer services as each service has its own procedures and requirements.

Therefore, the R&D Center of China Te lecom Quanzhou began testing and verifying the configurations and planning the project based on the network environment and business demands. The resulting specifications served as direct, effective guidelines for the maintenance personnel in the various centers to distribute services in line with a workflow. In the event of a service distribution failure, the equipment automatically rolls back.

Numerous business demands and frequent version upgrades affect new equipment at the initial stage of FTTx construction. To streamline the process, the automatic batch upgrade function can significantly facilitate upgrading the deployed ONT terminals.

Improving network resource management systems and standards

Managing such a large volume of optical fiber and cable resources was a huge challenge to China Telecom Quanzhou. The operator has explored all-optical access resource management models that center on the existing n e t w o r k r e s o u r c e m a n a g e m e n t architecture and operating habits, especially Huawei’s comprehensive resource management concept. After thoroughly analyzing existing optical cable resources and conventional management methods and operating habits, the operator standardized the label identification of equipment, modules, optical cable and fiber on E2E links, and provided guidelines for project implementation and O&M management. It has also developed a systematic solution for network resource management after proposing a range of customized system development requirements.

Finally, China Telecom Quanzhou integrated the resource management

now perform 50% of OLT and ONU commissioning and deployment on their own.

Remarkable progress in FTTx

F o l l o w i n g C h i n a Te l e c o m’s guidelines for optical access network promotion, China Telecom Quanzhou has made remarkable progress in FTTx construction. FTTB construction in 2007 and 2008 was consolidated by large-scale FTTH construction in early 2009 after the company’s strategic business shift, and 2010 will see the deployment of 300,000 lines.

Quanzhou Municipal Government is one of the key customers of China Telecom Quanzhou, and requires high-grade voice, data, video, and e-government services. To enhance their business relationship, the China Telecom Quanzhou-Huawei joint FTTx research team relocated to the Administrative Service Center in Quanzhou to build an FTTH network. After a thorough s tudy o f FTTx cons t ruct ion and project models in ODN FTTB and FTTH scenarios, the team successfully built a fiber to the desktop (FTTD) network in the Donghai Administration Building. The network and the services it facilitates are instrumental in raising the government’s image and promoting socioeconomic benefits.

After being debriefed on the FTTx project and as ses s ing the project themselves, senior officials of Fujian Telecommunications Administration highly commended the joint FTTx re search team for the i r “forward thinking and systematic architecture”. They expressed their hope that both operator and vendor can continue their successful partnership in more areas.

Editor: Li Xuefeng xuefengli@huawei.com

China Telecom Quanzhou champions FTTx

sys tem and the centra l i zed ONU predeployment system. Doing so has not only met the requirements for rapid and massive deployment but also provided a simple and clear management model for routine maintenance.

Organizational restructuring to ensure FTTx success

As the new FTTx technologies and multi-service operations posed a new challenge to the traditional O&M organizational structure and personnel of China Telecom Quanzhou, the opera tor adapted to the new network’s O&M requirements by undergoing fundamental organizational restructuring. It delegated part of the terminal maintenance work to the branch offices while asking China Telecom Fuj ian to fac i l i ta te core network maintenance. Special access maintenance centers were established to adjust local networks and enhance access layer network maintenance. Optical access maintenance teams were also set up in key counties and cities by integrating original equipment personnel with line center personnel.

Meanwhile, Huawei partnered with China Telecom Quanzhou to deliver a three-tier training program: 1) training on product introduction, installation instructions, and ONU and ODN operation guidelines was provided for the line centers and project installation teams at county and city levels and in Quanzhou; 2) real case training on OLT and ONU product and service configuration, planning, and commissioning was given to equipment center personnel at county and city levels and in Quanzhou; 3) training on network management, problem analysis and solutions was provided for key network control and equipment center personnel.

T h r o u g h t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l restructuring and multi-level training, the equipment center personnel can

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By Xue Qiang, China Unicom

simple, ODN is more complex, and a key part of FTTH network planning. Within a radius of 20km or farther from the exchange to subscriber homes, the ODN needs numerous fibers, cables, passive nodes and massive engineering. Statistics show that the ODN cost accounts for 50% to 70% of the total FTTH investment. Appropriate ODN network planning is crucial to effectively guiding ODN construction and reining in the costs.

To guarantee correct fiber routing, ODN planning must fully address considerations in OLT site selection, outdoor connector box locat ion, optical divider location, the utilization of existing pipes and cables and the distribution of target subscribers.

For example, the OLT is generally located in the central equipment room to cover more subscribers with fewer nodes. Resources should be used more

As FTTH networks are deployed on a massive scale, fiber will replace the copper wiring in connecting homes and enterprises, bringing radical changes to the last mile of access networks. As a critical and difficult aspect of FTTH deployment, the optical distribution network (ODN), strongly impacts the total cost, system performance and reliability of FTTH networks.

Mass FTTH ODN deploymentPlanning is key

here are three parts in an FTTH network: the optical line terminal (OLT), optical network terminal (ONT)

and the optical distribution network (ODN). The ODN is an important component of the FTTH network, providing a physical channel for optical transmission between the OLT and ONU. It is usually comprised of fiber cables, optical connectors, optical dividers, and supporting devices that connect the components. The ODN has five components: feeder, optical cable distribution node, cable distribution part, cable access point and home access.

An FTTH plan covers active devices (OLT and ONT) and a passive optical distribution network (ODN). While topology for active devices is quite

A closer look

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efficiently through central optical division in the initial stage when subscribers are widely scattered. Operators must fully consider this situation during actual network construction to maximize ODN resource utilization and readily adapt to capacity expansion requirements. In addition, the architecture should be sufficiently stable and reliable to accommodate future network evolution.

A future-proof ODN deployment underpins sustainable FTTH development. A suitable ODN plan helps to considerably reduce engineering, equipment and operating costs. Most operators draft a detailed network plan with the help of a specialized design institute or advisory body. This helps them prevent project risks and ensure business success.

Quality is prerequisite

Successful FTTH network operations are largely contingent on QoS, which in turn hinges on ODN quality. As part of the FTTH network infrastructure, the ODN must be able to fulfill requirements over the next two decades or longer. As ODN construction involves large amounts of underground work and a long service life, a substandard ODN could incur high costs for reworking and reconstruction.

ODN quality is determined by a combination of product and construction quality. Currently, the Chinese market lacks unified standards for ODN quality. As a result, ODN products from different vendors may vary widely in consistency, reliability, and performance. For outdoor products, their protection level, resistance to high and low temperatures and materials all affect performance and reliability. There is an urgent need for operators to establish a set of unified standards for ODN products.

When it comes to construction quality, ODN engineering technology and processes are a must. For mass FTTH deployment, it is imperative for operators to have well-trained professional engineers, a complete set of specifications and systematic training. Fiber engineering is more sophisticated than copper wire networking. Indoor wiring is particularly a new domain for operators and must accommodate individual user requirements. Suitable indoor wiring guidelines are essential for high-quality engineering.

Currently, operators often use subcontractors and ODN construction is usually divided into two phases: home pass and home entry. As the

two phases may be implemented years apart and several construction teams are likely to work simultaneously, it is hard to define responsibilities and trace the causes of problems.

Operators need to establish strict construction acceptance criteria to clearly define responsibilities and guarantee construction quality. In some cases, such as the massive national broadband construction in Singapore, a system integrator or general contractor is selected to oversee end-to-end FTTH network quality. In this way, consistent engineering quality can be guaranteed and the operators’ expenditure on managing construction teams kept in check.

New technology for efficient home entry

Operators rely on efficient service provisioning to outpace competitors. In addition to improving customer satisfaction, simple and swift service provisioning enables operators to shift focus away from network equipment O&M to customer experience, further enhancing the loyalty of existing subscribers.

Fiber entry to the home is the first important step in the mass deployment of FTTH for service provisioning. For the sake of efficiency, operators have to provide ODN wiring products and solutions that suit various buildings.

Currently, the industry tends to offer a pre-connected solution for home fiber access. As network size grows, traditional welding can take a considerable amount of time.

When subscribers activate services at different times, operators may need to disassemble equipment repeatedly for fiber fusion and other operations, which in turn reduces activation efficiency and complicates project implementation. By contrast, factory-fabricated connections and fusions can significantly increase onsite productivity and shorten the time for service activation as links can be activated through simple plugging.

The industry has also proposed a number of new solutions to distribute fibers inside a building faster. For example, FTTH indoor cables with a small bending radius can serve wiring needs in a building with many corners. Small-diameter FTTH indoor cables made of anti-friction material can address problems such as a shortage of pipelines and limited distribution space inside

A closer look: mass FTTH ODN deployment

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Editor: Xu Peng xupeng@huawei.com

a building. A new type of vertical distribution cable can be used directly without welding. Tailored for cable distribution in buildings, these solutions clear the way for distribution and increase distribution efficiency.

Intelligent fiber management supports mass deployment

Over the next few years, exchanges in China market are expected to house over 20,000 fiber lines. As FTTH networks are deployed on a massive scale, fiber management over the last mile will become a key O&M concern for operators. In fact, the error rate of fiber data management in FTTB scenarios has exceeded 20%, complicating fiber maintenance and troubleshooting.

The high error rate is largely attributed to the manual operation of entering passive network information into the database. In addition, fibers must be located and handled manually and efficiency is inevitably impacted, making sustainable network operation and maintenance difficult. To lower maintenance costs, operators need to consider intelligent fiber management solutions early on in the construction phase. Then, problems arising from inaccurate information, like rework in fiber repairs, and difficulties with fiber information maintenance, can be handled.

Spurred by the challenge of the surging number of FTTH fibers, some far-sighted operators and equipment vendors have begun to research solutions.

Hu a we i h a s c o m e u p w i t h a n intelligent fiber management solution called iODN to address the issues caused by manual entry, like heavy workloads and high error rates, providing solid assurance for mass FTTH deployment. The solution is designed to properly manage fiber connections through intelligent fiber management, helping ensure accurate maintenance and troubleshooting, increase maintenance

e f f i c i e n c y a n d s i m p l i f y O & M procedures. By automatically identifying and collecting data on ODN fiber connections, workloads and errors resulting from manual recording, it gets rid of the hassle of duplicate task dispatching due to inaccurate data. Combined with visualized software running on PDAs and intelligent port indications on distribution devices, the solution supports automatic fiber and port search and location, significantly improving O&M efficiency and paving the way for sustainable FTTH network operation and management.

In summary, a suitable ODN plan lays the groundwork for successful FTTH network deployment, while high-quality ODN deployment sets the stage for future operations. Swift service provisioning is essential for grabbing market share. Most importantly, only effective fiber resource management can sustain the operation and management of large networks.

On June 8, 2010, over 50 fixed ne twork ope r a to r s a t t ended the FTTH & Next Generation Access Summit 2010 in London to jointly explore ways to “respond to challenges from mass FTTH deployment” and share exper iences in mass FTTH c o m m e rc i a l i z a t i o n . Du r i n g t h e conference, global operators including BT and leading vendors like Huawei demonstrated their ODN solutions for mass FTTH deployment.

BT s h owc a s e d i t s s o l u t i o n o f deploying optical dividers in large-capacity connector boxes, which can simplify site acquisition and reduce link loss. Huawei unveiled its Easy ODN solution as a key part of its total SingleFAN FTTH solution. The one-stop solution enables operators to accelerate FTTH deployment efforts and move optical access networks forward into an era of easy O&M.

A suitable ODN plan lays the groundwork for successful FTTH network deployment, while high-quality ODN deployment sets the stage for future operations. Swift service provisioning is essential for grabbing market share. Most importantly, only effective fiber resource management can sustain the operation and management of large networks.

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Carbon efficiency evaluation of

By Dr. Anders S.G. Andrae & Dr.Gianluca Griffa

What are the implications of different FTTx deployment modes on energy usage? How should operators optimize the FTTx system to minimize carbon emission? The joint LCA case study by Telecom Italia and Huawei on FTTx carbon efficiency evaluation provides valuable reference.

Dr. Gianluca Griffa joined Telecom Italia in 2001 and currently works in the Wireline Access

Infrastructure Innovation Department, where he’s responsible for the project “Innovative Solutions for Powering and Energy Efficiency in the Access Network”. He’s also the secretary of the GeSI-EE IOCG Standardization Branch, and member of the ETNO Energy Task Force.

Introduction

t has recently become popular to express the carbon footprint, i . e . t o t a l s e t o f g r e e n h o u s e ga s emi s s ions caused by an

organization, event or product. The reason is that CO2 emissions contribute to the acidification of our oceans and together with other greenhouse gases increase the greenhouse effect. All sectors of society should therefore try to identify and reduce CO2 emissions.

The general trend for fixed broadband is that FTTx wil l over take ADSL platforms and the number of FTTx subscribers is increasing exponentially. Another trend is that carbon emissions caps or taxes probably will be sooner or later introduced in a formal way. Currently, there is some sort of carbon tax confusion for the ICT industry regarding answers to the questions how? how much? and who will pay? Moreover, several standardization efforts are in progress with a carbon disclosure focus.

IHuawei foresees that l i fe cyc le

assessment (LCA) will be the major tool for many years to come as presently there is no other accepted framework to estimate the environmental footprints of products and services. LCAs often make use of approximate figures and simulations and as a result the results are not very exact, but still useful. In life cycle simulations carbon dioxide emissions are rather straight–forward to estimate compared to others and the energy used is often fossil based. The carbon analyses are inspiring a reborn awareness about resource conservation and efficiency.

In this paper we present a unique LCA case study of fixed broadband networks. Through the LCA analysis it is possible to provide carbon emission value of the system under study in whole life cycle and to optimize it by finding the energy usage and carbon emission “hot–spots”. The analysis result can also be taken as a reference of environment criteria for the selection of FTTx solutions for field network deployment.

Case study

Several LCA case studies of fixed networks have been performed prior to this study. They indicate that customer premise equipment (CPE) energy usage is a very important contributor to carbon footprint. However, transparency and spreading of result data are issues.

Taking this into account, Telecom Italia and Huawei have jointly performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis using the LCA software SimaPro in order to estimate the carbon footprint of the introduction of three different FTTx networks: FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet), FTTB (Fiber to the Building), and FTTH (Fiber to the Home).

Scope definition

The architectural scope would be rather wide if all system nodes of a fixed network would be included and allocated to the specific network. The

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Network typeDeployment type

FTTCGreenfield scenario/Brownfield scenario (%)

FTTBGreenfield scenario/Brownfield scenario (%)

FTTHGreenfield scenario/Brownfield scenario (%)

Mini–trench 15/35 0/25 0/25

Traditional civil works 15/35 0/25 0/25

Existing deployment 70/30 100/50 100/50

Table 1 Assumptions for greenfield and brownfield deployment in Italy

Fig. 1 Architecture for FTTH

Limit for acceptable bandwidth:80 apartments/GPON interface

20 apartments/ building

125 GPON

~ (20+15)meters (vertical + in-house)

4 links to 4 buildings

secondary ~ 0.5km

primary~ 1.3km1:80

Dr. Anders S.G. Andrae is a Senior Expert of LCA Research at Huawei Technologies Sweden

since 2008. He is rapporteaur at ETSI for LCA standards, reviewer for LCA journals, and the author of 3 books and 29 journal and conference papers in the area of LCA.

transport and core network equipment such as LAN switches and routers are excluded as well as the PCs and already installed copper cables. Included is the fixed access network from the OLT on the Central Office to the ONU/ONT on the user side as well as the optical distribution network (ODN) connecting them. That is, the scope was chosen to highlight differences in between FTTC, FTTB, and FTTH technologies.

Scenario development is unavoidable in LCA studies and here a greenfield and brownfield scenario for deployment was set according to Table 1.

For the environmental LCA the functional unit is “broadband network in an Italian urban dense area for use by 10,000 homes during one year”, and the system boundaries are from cradle-to-grave. Typical for ICT networks is that the lifetime of system parts vary and this has to be handled when expressing the result annually. The lifetime of the studied FTTx networks was assumed to be 30 years and therefore the amounts of different hardware and cables is proportional to their lifetime. For example, 26 ton fiber cables are deployed for FTTH, but per year only 0.87 ton is used as the fiber cables can be in

the ground for 30 years. Per year only 2,000 HGW (ONT) are used as their lifetime was assumed to be 5 years.

The purifying and drawing of optical fiber in its production were excluded. Other excluded parts are splitters and distribution boxes. These parts were excluded as they likely are a small share of the total score. These omitted parts constitute the so called “cut–off”.

The de ta i l ed a rch i t ec ture and parameters of each FTTx solutions were also defined. FTTH case is shown below in Fig. 1 as an example.

Data collection and LCA modeling

Star t ing f rom the power usage measurements of three different networks, the scope was expanded in order to include manufacturing of hardware assumed entirely in China, transport from China to Italy, deployment of each network, and end-of-life.

On a relatively high level, the LCA model for FTTH network consists of 14 main modules (Table 2). The amount needed of each LCA module is decided by each individual FTTH deployment. Concerning the digging methods in deployment, three different solutions have been considered: mini–trench, traditional civil works and usage of existing ducts. The CO2 emission variation can be quite high in between different trenching and civil works activities and they have to be specified for each case study.

Results and discussion

Fig. 2 shows some results for the

How to Operate

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For the alternative brownfield deployment assumption, FTTB and FTTH use 100% and FTTC uses 70% of existing infrastructure (Table 1). The realistic low power hypothesis is that the HGWs are on full mode for 4 hours and in low power mode for 20. This reduced the electricity usage by more than 80% for these HGWs.

For FTTH, the brownfield deployment/low power scenario is 80% better than the greenfield deployment/high power CPE scenario. The saving potential shown in Figure 3 corresponds annually to around 10,000 normal cars (167g CO2e/km) driven 587 km each.

For FTTC controlling the power of the CPEs is more important than the technique used for deployment. For FTTB and FTTH the deployment technique becomes almost as important as the power mode. FTTC is better than FTTB and FTTH for greenfield deployment both for High and Low Power CPE. This is similar to TCO calculations which favour FTTC over FTTB and FTTH when a new fiber deployment has to be done. On the other hand, for the brownfield deployment/high power CPE scenario, i.e. when optical fibers have already been deployed, FTTH is better (770 tons) than FTTC (950 tons) and FTTB (1,000 tons). This means that the most important criteria from carbon point of view, when choosing an FTTx network, is whether fiber has been deployed or not.

The brownfield deployment/low power scenario highlights FTTH as the winning architecture (220 tons compared to 580 for FTTB and 530 for FTTC).

Carbon–efficiency analysis

Carbon–efficiency is defined here as “average” bandwidth provided by each FTTx network divided by CO2 emissions for each FTTx network. As shown below in Fig. 4, FTTH is considerably more efficient (“more output than input”) than especially FTTC. FTTH is by far the best option even when the starting point is the greenfield deployment/high power CPE scenario. Concerning FTTH, the main drivers for carbon footprint are the electricity usage of the home

greenfield and brownfield deployment scenario, respectively. The production includes manufacturing of network equipment and transport of goods from China to Italy. Deployment includes manufacturing of site materials (e.g. concrete) and deployment operations.

For all networks, the production, deployment and use phases are more important than others. The use stage is doubtlessly the main contributor to carbon footprint for the greenfield and brownfield deployment scenario both. The result is of comparable magnitude (per user) as earlier studies for FTTH.

As shown by Fig. 2 for greenfield deployment, the CO2e results for FTTB and FTTH calculated by LCA are (on average) 70% higher than results calculated by multiplying the electricity usage by a CO2 emission factor. For example, for FTTB the LCA derived result is 1,300 tons and the Use result is only 780 tons. It suggests that it is not enough to base the carbon footprint on electricity usage measurements alone, and therefore, an LCA approach is essential.

Interpretation

The most important part of an LCA is the interpretation which includes contribution, uncertainty, and sensitivity analyses in which the robustness of the results is tested.

According to contribution analysis (Fig. 2) the most important phases are Use, Deployment, and Production. Specifically for FTTH the most contributing processes are Italy electric production and diesel burnt in building machines.

Uncertainty analysis in LCA investigates how the precision of used data influence the spread of the final score. The difference between the systems was shown to be enough to draw conclusions.

Sensitivity analysis is usually performed by alternating the data for key system components allowing new scenarios which are compared them to the original.

Fig. 2 on the right uses the values of Table 1 for a comparison of high power CPE greenfield and brownfield deployment scenarios.

To further exemplify the sensitivity ana lys i s , in Fig . 3 the greenf ie ld deployment/high power CPE scenario is compared to a more realistic brownfield deployment/low power CPE scenario.

Name Unit

1. Optical fiber production kgCO2e/km

2. Transport model from China to Italy kgCO2e/ton×km

3. Truck transports in Italy kgCO2e/ton×km

4. Existing infrastructure deployment kgCO2e/km

5. Mini–trench deployment kgCO2e/km

6. Traditional civil works deployment kgCO2e/km

7. Landfill optical fiber cables kgCO2e/kg

8. Incineration optical fiber cables kgCO2e/kg

9. Electricity, Italy kgCO2e/kWh

10. HGW ONT production kgCO2e/piece

11. OLT FTTx production kgCO2e/kg

12. Waste treatment PCBAs kgCO2e/kg

13. Waste treatment cabinets kgCO2e/kg

14. Waste treatment cables kgCO2e/kg

Table 2 High level LCA modules for FTTH with units for CO2e (kgCO2e per unit)

Carbon efficiency evaluation of FTTx deployment

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Editor: Julia Yao Julia@huawei.com

Looking aheadHuawei supports operators in their work

to find the societal benefits of specific ICT services provided by the FTTC, FTTB, and FTTH. Moreover, in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental implication of the present networks, other impact categories than global warming potential must be analysed. As the databases and LCA methodologies are improved, the introduction of other footprints (such as water footprint) will be trivial. This will on the other hand demand

more primary data collection than carbon footprint estimations.

It was beyond the scope of the case study to find out if FTTH is also more effective (accomplished work compared to planned target) in specific working situations than FTTB and FTTC. To investigate such issues LCAs of ICT services are needed.

gateways, their manufacturing, and the use of diesel trucks in traditional civil works and mini–trench deployment. The inclusion of “average” bandwidth gives an advantage for FTTH as more data can be transferred more efficient and faster.

Other remarks

End–of–life processes seem to be irrelevant from a carbon emission point of view.

Robust LCA studies support two major benefits. The first is Benefit Maximization (most environmental reduction for least economic cost) and the second Continuous Improvement. In the first case the LCA shows where most environmental loadings occur and then the decision makers can find the most cost efficient solution to reduce these environmental loadings. In the second case, the first study helps to clarify the goals for the next product generation.

This analysis has highlighted that it is not enough to base the carbon footprint on electricity usage measurements alone.

Moreover, this study has shown that it is also not enough to compare the life cycles for the hardware systems alone, even though that is a necessary starting point for further research.

ConclusionsFor the first time FTTC, FTTB and

FTTH broadband networks have been simultaneously compared by using LCA with a functional unit of “broadband network in an Italian urban dense area for use by 10,000 homes during one year”. There are two major conclusions to make from the case study. First, for greenfield deployment in Italy, FTTC architecture has the lowest amount of total CO2 emissions both for high power CPE (appr. 1,000 tons) and low power CPE (appr. 590 tons). The most important criterion from carbon point of view, when choosing an FTTx network, is whether fiber has been deployed or not. Second, it is also found that FTTH is the most efficient solution (“more output than input”) considering the bandwidth provided.

Fig. 3 Combined effect of deployment methods and power mode of CPE

Deployment (greenfield )

Sensitivity analyses - 10,000 users during one year Italy

Deployment (brownfield)

High power CPE

FTTC FTTB FTTHLow power CPE Low power CPE Low power CPEHigh power CPE High power CPE

1000950

770680

590530

80% reduction of carbon footprint!

Fig. 2 Carbon footprint for the greenfield and brownfield deployment in Italy

Carbon footprint for 10,000 subscribers during one year – Greenfield&Brownfield deployment scenario (high power CPE) Italy

FTTBFTTH

180220

10001000

12001300

-1 -1 -242 2 2100

780730

350460

0Production Deployment

(brownfield)Deployment (greenfield)

End-of-life Total (brownfield)

Total (greenfield)

Fig. 4 Results without considering the functions (services provided) of the systems

kgCO2e/user/year [Mbps]:[kgCO2e/user/year]

160 1.0

1200.8

FTTC, 25Mbps FTTC, 25Mbps FTTB, 50Mbps FTTB, 50Mbps FTTH, 100Mbps FTTH, 100Mbps

120 0.8

40 0.2

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Simplified networking

ccess networks are becoming i n c r e a s i n g l y c o m p l e x a s the dominant t rends shift to All-IP, high speed

broadband access, and multi-service bearer capabilities. Traditional network structure suffers from stovepiping and repeated construction, which leads to a surging investment burden. Since the old way of cutting equipment costs by improving semiconductor technology no longer works, operators are forced to lower costs by simplifying their network structures.

This is exactly where the SingleFAN solution comes in.

Fi r s t l y, t h e s o l u t i o n d e l i v e r s convergent access through a unified box that is compatible with a diverse range of access media, including copper wires and fibers. The solution’s strong scalabil ity not only meets soaring bandwidth demands, but also eliminates the need for frequent access device upgrades and the construction of new

SingleFANthe beauty of simplicity

By providing a unified access platform for copper and fiber access, Huawei’s SingleFAN

technology embodies a lean, highly expandable, and CAPEX-lite solution that meets growing

bandwidth demands. Operators are able to construct a much simpler ubiquitous access network

that offers subscribers a consistent and superior experience, regardless of access medium. The

solution’s rapid deployment time shortens new service and product time to market, optimizes

efficiency, beats down OPEX, and ultimately drives up profits for operators.

By Huang Xinqiang

access networks for each additional access mode.

Secondly, the SingleFAN solution deploys a convergent service bearer layer. In addition to triple-play for residential subscribers, the solution combines capabilities such as TDM/ATM service PW emulation to realize full-service access through a single network.

Thirdly, the solution minimizes o p e r a t o r s ’ e x p e n d i t u r e o n t h e convergence layer as convergent OLTs simplify network structure by widening coverage and connecting directly with the BRAS. Combined with high-density GE access that is comparable to high-end Ethernet switches, the solution minimizes network CAPEX without investment on switch convergence.

Fast deployment

M a n y o p e r a t o r s b e l i e v e t h a t the largest obstac le during FTTx construction is maintenance. Previous experience with copper wires is not transferable to FTTx networks, and this

complicates both network deployment and maintenance. FTTx node division also multiplies and diversifies the range of devices, which in turn necessitates far more site visits and manpower input. As labor costs are higher in developed economie s , s impl i f y ing ne twork deployment and providing a user-friendly maintenance approach through the SingleFAN solution helps operators minimize O&M expenditure and labor cost.

Underp inned by an a l l - in-one design concept, the solution accelerates the learning curve for maintenance engineers as the a l l - inclusive box incorporates most access devices , and removes the need for technicians to understand newly added access products. The fully integrated system saves the time and costs associated with integrating equipment with the NMS and OSS, and testing new services and functions.

In addition, the one-stop ODN prov ides a so lut ion package that spans planning, product design and engineering, which greatly accelerates

Solution

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ODN deployment. The solution’s one-touch automatic service provisioning capability enables operators to deploy devices and activate services through a single site visit, slashing labor costs by 60%. Finally, the SingleFAN copper wire and fiber line maintenance system simplifies line maintenance and speeds up troubleshooting, cutting invalid dispatches by 30%.

Smooth evolution

Estimates suggest that, to realize broadband network construction, the 27 EU countries must invest a staggering 250 billion pounds. Such a massive investment is a risky proposition given the lengthy construction timeline, rapidity of technological progress and the vagaries of market demand. As access networks account for 70% of total network investment, operators are keen to deploy an access network that can flexibly and smoothly evolve with future trends, guaranteeing the protection of their investment.

T h e S i n g l e FA N ’s a l l - i n - o n e architecture incorporates a complete r ange o f fu tu re -p roo f e vo lu t ion capabilities. Covering the network backplane, software architecture, and service development, these capabilities maximally protect operators’ investment by enabling the seamless evolution of the following features: ATM to IP, copper wire to fiber access, PSTN to IMS, IPv4 to IPv6, and PON to NG PON.

A rosy profit outlook

Another challenge for operators in the broadband era is the necessity to increase ARPU. Traditionally, they have relied on killer applications, but are now moving to long-tail services. The value of the entire industry chain is extending from network pipelines to service platforms and subscriber terminals. It is imperative – and no longer optional – for operators to expand their business reach from pipelines to service platforms and subscriber terminals.

The SingleFAN solution provides Diff-Serv and lean service control capabilit ies coupled with an open platform for smart terminals. These features enable new services to be continually launched and QoE to climb rapidly. Operators can extend their reach from access channels to homes, enterprise terminals, and service platforms, and thus increase ARPU.

By fol lowing the “less i s more” p r i n c i p l e , Hu a w e i ’s S i n g l e FA N broadband access solution substantially cuts deployment costs and increases network profitability, which explains the high level of attention the solution has received from operators. Currently, Huawei is cooperating with over 50 operators globally, including British Telecom, France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and Singapore’s Nucleus Connect, to construct next-generation broadband access networks.

Editor: Chen Yuhong chyhong@huawei.com

Solution

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With the ODN driving down construction costs and boosting ROI, FTTx is powering along a rapid development path. The iODN is the culmination of the industry’s strong focus on building, operating and maintaining the ODN cost-effectively.

By Li De

The iODN, a smart fiber manager

ODN management is vital

tatistics reveal that 150 million FTTx subscriber lines were deployed worldwide in 2009. Over the next three years, up

to 800 million FTTx subscriber lines are expected to be added, heralding an FTTx boom. In China, the year 2009 saw the deployment of 20 million FTTx ports and 55 million kilometers of fiber core, reflecting a 20% annual growth rate in the fiber area.

To ride the FTTx boom, the access layer must come equipped with a huge optical distribution network (ODN). ODN construction does not come cheap, however, accounting for up to 50-70% of total FTTH investment. Given the ever-increasing bandwidth demand by services, the ODN must be able to sustain long-term broadband network development regardless of the technology and the lifecycle of major equipment.

The ODN also represents the most difficult part of FTTx management, as it is fundamentally more complex than a copper wire network. The latter exists through a simple P2P structure, unlike the ODN’s predominant P2MP topology that requires multiple connecting nodes and a solution for complex network management. In addition, fibers are more vulnerable to operational errors and attacks by rodents.

Efficient ODN construction and O&M necessitate a set of intelligent and accurate management solutions that fully utilize the ODN and effectively p r o t e c t l o n g - t e r m i n v e s t m e n t . Consequently, leading operators and

Sstandardization organizations such as the ITU-T are beginning to prioritize feasible ODN management.

iODN: an ideal management tool

ODN management is simple and basic in the context of a PON. The inventory management system stores data about copper wires, fibers, pipes, and distribution frames, which is then retrieved during service activation and maintenance. However, this management model creates two major problems.

First, manual data entry is plagued by an average error rate of 20%. During construction, engineers must print engineering drawings and perform tasks by default rules, such as numbering board ports from left to right and manually entering all network information into a database. Human error compromises this process, and database information quickly becomes out of date due to improper management.

Second, manual operations induce inefficient O&M. At the O&M phase, all fibers in a PON are located manually, which lowers network management efficiency and dampens broadband service growth.

So , can ODN management be automated to solve these problems? With Huawei’s intelligent ODN (iODN) solution, the answer is a decisive “yes”. The solution adds a number of intelligent capabilities to the network without changing any passive ODN features. Incorporating a PDA with visualization software to simplify and enhance field

operations, the solution provides such intelligent capabilities as fiber connection identification and management, intelligent fiber indicators, intelligent optical splitter management, port searches, and the collation of port status data. The PDA enables the ODN to communicate with the inventory management system in real time through a wireless MAN or a wired broadband network, while the PDA connects with, and can temporarily power, the iODN through a USB port.

Fiber ID management: Embedded with an eID, the fiber connector reads the eID data of plug-in fibers to realize intelligent fiber management. Similar to an MAC address, the eID provides a globally unique identifier that stores data of a given fiber, including its route, position in the optical cable sequence, and connected optical splitter or distribution module. By managing the eID, the solution controls fiber links across the ODN by such means as automatically generating a topology and checking the fiber connections.

Port status collection: An iODN device can automatically collect and report the resource status by reading and then downloading the fiber connection status of all ports to the PDA through a USB port.

Port search indication: Activated by the management module, each port in an iODN device uses an LED indicator to display the fiber port that requires maintenance. This raises the precision and ease of onsite maintenance via a visual interface.

Visualized PDA: The PDA provides three functions. First , i t supplies temporary power v ia a USB por t connection and activates the management module of the iODN. Second, it serves

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as a communication bridge between the iODN and the inventory management system to enable data exchange. Third, as the major construction and maintenance interface, it facilitates dispatch list management, operational instructions, and information inquiries. Each function is accompanied by a graphical interface, which greatly improves O&M efficiency, ease and accuracy for engineers.

Unprecedented ease of use

Intelligent and automated, the Huawei iODN solution represents the optimum method for easing the challenges of construction and O&M, reducing costs, and maximizing efficiency.

The solution allows engineers to freely download electronic drawings on a PDA through wireless or fixed networks, rather than completing them during construction. The PDA and the iODN connect via a USB connector, so engineers are no longer required to memorize a series of default rules. Construction tasks can be accurately and efficiently completed by following

the LED indicators and the PDA. Instead of completing a confirmation form on project completion, engineers can use the PDA to collate connections and port status data, which the PDA then uploads to the inventory management system.

When the PDA has obtained electronic dispatch lists during routine maintenance, engineers can simply insert the PDA into the iODN, and the LED indicator and the PDA display will immediately indicate if a port requires maintenance, helping them perform O&M tasks accurately. The PDA also automatically records changes to the data about fiber links, ports and others and reports them to the inventory management system to synchronize system data.

Thus, the iODN solution automatically records and manages ODN f iber connection information to maintain the accuracy and timeliness of the inventory management system and eliminate human error. In addition, the visualization software on the PDA and the smart LED indications on the iODN combine to support automatic fiber search and accurate operations, significantly improving O&M efficiency.

Based on the iODN structure, the inventory management system supports a variety of value-added applications for automated construction and O&M. For instance, the system can automatically generate the tools and materials required for a dispatch list and create an online material request workflow. With its built-in GPS, the iODN and PDA can automatically navigate engineers to ODN sites without the need for information analysis.

As a smart fiber network manager, the iODN solution infuses the end-to-end ODN construction and maintenance process with cutting-edge electronics, intelligence, and automation capabilities that vastly improve O&M efficiency and protect ODN investment.

Solution

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Knowing how to efficiently deploy a massive FTTx network will help operators

maintain their competitive edge.

By Luo Jie & Zhang Yufen

Efficient FTTx O&M: a checklistNew challenges

raditional access networks are based upon point-to-point star topology and use copper wiring to connect home users. Access

is mainly through a network bridge, while services and control are realized on the upper network layer. In this context, network operation and maintenance (O&M) is relatively simple and mature.

In comparison, FTTx networks use point- to-mult ipoint (P2MP) tree topology. As richer services are introduced and equipment is deployed outside equipment rooms, network O&M becomes more complex.

First, network deployment can be inefficient. FTTx networks need a large quantity of remote equipment and individual deployment. Engineers must be on site to install hardware, commiss ion sof tware , accept the equipment and consequently more man hours are spent and progress is slower.

Second, service provisioning can be time consuming. Unlike copper access, FTTx does not use a simple one-to-one connection between an end user and a PON port. When processing a service application, engineers need to connect the user terminal to a PON port. The network management system (NMS) requires smooth collaboration with the operations support system (OSS). To manage the FTTx network, the NMS needs further configuration.

Third, troubleshooting is difficult. Compared with copper access, FTTx has a large number of passive nodes in the optical distribution network (ODN), while optical network units (ONUs) are located in a complex network environment. Though single-point fault detections for the optical

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module, individual ports, and loop testing are available, this can lead to heavier workload as all possible fault points need to be checked. Without a comprehensive diagnostic tool, highly skilled maintenance personnel are necessary.

E2E solutionA full-process O&M for the FTTx

network will help operators enhance their efficiency and reduce O&M costs. As part of the effort, Huawei has rolled out an E2E FTTx O&M solution, which covers different network layers and helps operators to enhance efficiency in terms of engineering, daily O&M, troubleshooting and network upgrades.

iManager U2000 NMS: This is a high performance, large capacity convergent NMS with a modular design that can help operators with network deployment, service provisioning, network monitoring, and network maintenance. It can realize visualized management on service topology, network performance, faults and system performance, while managing access, transmission and IP devices.

iManager N2510 line assurance system: For optical line diagnosis, when paired with the optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR), it can accurately locate faults on an ODN network.

iManager U2560 terminal management system: Suppo r t ing th e TR-069 Amendment, the U2560 can deliver uniform management and maintenance to DSL gateways and PON terminals from different vendors.

Fast deployment, easy O&M

Operators can enhance network deployment efficiency, shorten service p rov i s i o n i n g t i m e a n d s i m p l i f y troubleshooting with the Huawei E2E FTTx O&M solution.

Fast ONU deployment

With the U2000 system, operators

can pre-deploy their equipment in batches, remotely commission and verify their ONUs in a large quantity and speed up FTTx deployment.

Engineers can write equipment configuration data into an Excel file, then import the data into the NMS. When the equipment is powered on, the NMS will deliver the configuration data and automatically upgrade the equipment. The NMS will also automatically verify the equipment by initiating simulation tests on MxUs and the test result will be automatically reported to the NMS.

Compared with manual O&M, this can help operators simplify network deployment and enhance efficiency, while lowering the technical threshold for engineers in network O&M.

Taking China Telecom Xi’an for example, six engineers were required to commission 50 MxUs per day. With the U2000, only one engineer is needed to write the configuration data and import it to the NMS. The same project takes only half a day. It used to take an engineer a full day to configure 8.3 MxUs, but now up to 100 MxUs can be configured in the same amount of time.

Automated service provisioning

The U2000 NMS also provides service configuration that spans OLT, MDU, and ONU. Services like data, voice and IPTV can be automatically delivered. With standard interfaces, the NMS is backwardly compatible with legacy OSSs so maintenance personnel can still use the same system.

By connecting the northbound interface of the NMS, China Telecom Wenzhou has established a smooth system for resource management and service provisioning. The legacy manual system could activate only two new FTTH users per day, but with the U2000 NMS, they can now add up to 10,000.

The U2000 NMS can be integrated with a l l mainst ream OSSs in the industry, and it has been adopted by over 100 operators worldwide. To ensure fast and high-quality integration, Huawei

also provides consulting services.

Intelligent fault diagnosis

By us ing both the U2000 and N2510, operators can comprehensively diagnose and test network equipment for intelligent, automated troubleshooting.

Diagnostics are freed from manual operation. Using the northbound interface of the U2000, the N2510 queries the status, configuration, and performance data on the OLT and ONU. After simulating calls and testing the internal/external lines, the system can analyze the test data and route it to the fault library. If a fault is identified, the system will give troubleshooting suggestion according to need.

The N2510 can also work with the OTDR to locate fiber faults in an ODN, which is especially helpful in a newly completed project. Engineers can then quickly perform a test to verify whether the fiber line is working well.

Operators are also facing increased user complaints and in-home visits for terminal maintenance. Based on the simple network management protocol (SNMP) and the TR-069 Amendment, the U2560 can provide standard SNMP and XML interfaces. Operators can use the U2560 to uniformly manage WLAN devices and home terminals, locating faults accurately and simplifying O&M.

The U2000 can also actively detect the FTTx network status in addition to the passive diagnosis. By monitoring KPIs like CPU usage, memory status, temperature, optical power and uplink/downlink rates, the U2000 can give an early warning signal for possible faults and deteriorating KPIs.

Huawei’s FTTx O&M solution has been adopted by over 30 operators worldwide, including France Telecom, China Telecom, China Mobile and Telekom Malaysia. FTTx O&M is simplified and the end result is a more seamless user experience.Editor: Liu Zhonglin liuzhonglin@huawei.com

Solution

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Operators worldwide are showing greater enthusiasm for GPON-based FTTx construction. Among all considerations, how to ensure that the GPON can migrate to and coexist with the 10G GPON is a key design concern. With this regard, the article will delve into scenario analysis, equipment change, network management system (NMS) upgrades, and OSS adjustment.

From GPON to 10G GPON

By Wu Huazhong & Zhao Ming

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

Compatibility and smoothness

he compatibility between the new 10G GPON and the existing GPON is the most crucial factor in system

evolution. Smoothness is also important, ensuring that the evolution process has minimal impact on the services for end users and on the current O&M system. To achieve both, all aspects involved in system evolution must be taken into account.

10G GPON compatibil ity with GPON requ i re s ha rdware reu se . Whether hardware can be reused depends on physical layer specifications. Currently, the 10G GPON standard clearly specifies that 10G GPON can share the optical distribution network (ODN) and the opt i ca l ne twork terminals (ONTs) with existing GPON. Smooth system upgrades depend on software capabilities. A smooth upgrade has the minimal impact on services and does not complicate operations, which are largely influenced by software and data adjustment.

A uniform management standard that enables multi-vendor interoperability between the optical l ine terminal (OLT) and the ONT also guarantees s m o o t h e v o l u t i o n . 1 0 G G P O N s tandards organ iza t ions a re now formulating uniform management and interoperability standards.

Based on the GPON interoperability s t anda rd , the ITU-T pa s s ed the 1 0 G G P O N m a n a g e m e n t a n d interoperability standard (G.988) in June 2010, paving the way for uniform northbound interfaces (NBIs) and interoperability.

Analysis of evolution solutions

The optical access network will

remain the network infrastructure of choice for a long time to come. Medium-/long-term requirements must be fully considered for network deployment. Also, reasonable network archi tecture must be des igned to support future network evolution and protect operator investments.

From the deployment perspective, 10G GPON may coexist with GPON in the following three scenarios. At the early stage, the 10G GPON is introduced and built on the basis of the existing GPON, and its capacity needs to be expanded to meet the growing capacity demand. At the intermediate s tage , the 10G GPON, a l though dominant , needs to be backward compatible with the GPON as it is not mature enough.

At the last stage when the 10G GPON is fully mature, the GPON will give way to the 10G GPON as they cannot meet service requirements any longer.

In t h e s e s c e n a r i o s , h a rd w a r e

coexistence remains essentially the same all along, and the differences in software operations should be mainly considered for smooth upgrade. The first scenario is the most complicated as it involves the 10G GPON construction on the basis of the GPON and capacity expansion. This scenario deserves a detailed analysis as it is currently the focus of the 10G GPON standard and also the most possible deployment scenario.

There are several factors that are key to expanding the existing network to 10G GPON. They include the addition of 10G GPON cards to the OLT, software upgrade and data adjustment, ODN reuse, replacement or addition of 10G GPON optical network units (ONUs), modification of BRAS/AAA user data configurations, NMS upgrade, and OSS resource management system updating.

OLT upgrade to minimize the impact upon services

In the process of upgrading a GPON to a 10G GPON, OLT upgrading is an essential step. OLTs are deployed on the network, providing services for thousands of users. Minimizing the impact of system upgrades upon user services is an important element to be cons ide red in the upgrade solution. Another major concern in OLT upgrades is avoiding unnecessary changes to the upper-level NMS and to the OSS.

OLT upgrades involve software systems, user data configurat ion, and the hardware card addi t ion/replacement. To reduce the impact of these upgrades upon the user services on the live network, software system upgrading on the main equipment and user data configuration must be in-service software upgrade. At the same time, the software system of the OLT needs to mask the underlying implementation differences between the 10G GPON and the GPON from the upper-level NMS. The 10G GPON

TThe optical access network will remain the network infrastructure of choice for a long time to come. Medium-/long-term requirements must be fully considered for network deployment. Also, reasonable network architecture must be designed to support future network evolution and protect operator investments.

Solution

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must be compatible with the live GPON in terms of authentication, configuration, status, optical diagnosis means, performance statistics and alarms in order to avoid unwanted changes to the NMS and O&M.

Maximum possible reuse of ODN

One o f t h e d e s i gn ob j e c t i v e s – a l s o a standardization concern – is to allow 10G GPON coexistence with the live GPON so that the deployed network equipment can be reused to the maximum extent possible for investment protection. But the differences in actual network design and service provisioning will have an impact on how the existing network equipment should be reused.

As the 10G GPON coexists with the GPON in WDM mode, it is necessary to add to the ODN a wavelength coupler (WDM1r) that superimposes the GPON and 10G GPON signals. In the 10G GPON evolution solution, it is of utmost importance to find the best location for the WDM1r to facilitate installation and fiber jumping. ODN design for GPON deployment varies from operator to operator. Therefore, there are multiple WDM1r solution choices for specific ODN environments, including external ODFs, standalone cards, and internal integration of 10G GPON boards.

At the same time, WDM1r will introduce additional power loss (>1dB), which also applies to the current GPON. During GPON ODN design, a certain power budget margin shall be reserved for future upgrade to the 10G GPON.

PnP feature of ONUs as a crucial factor

10G GPON can be applied in various scenarios, including fiber to the home (FTTH), fiber to the building/curb (FTTB/C), and fiber to the office (FTTO). Therefore, ONUs, which are diverse in form, should be applicable to various installation scenarios. But ease of deployment should be the common key attribute of an ONU. Specifically, 10G GPON ONUs must be plug-and-play (PnP) when all preparations are made for service configurations and fiber lines.

In terms of hardware, as the GPON and 10G GPON coexist in WDM mode, the live GPON ONU must have built-in wavelength blocking filters (WBFs) to prevent 10G GPON and GPON signals from interfering with each other. To deploy

the RF Overlay, the WBF in the ONU must be able to separate the downstream optical signals of the RF Overlay from those of the 10G GPON.

Differences in BRAS/AAA configuration updates

Currently, most users are authenticated in PPPoE+ or DHCP Option 82 mode for enhanced security. In either mode, information about users’ corresponding physical locations (like the subrack, slot, and port) is stored on the AAA server.

When 10G GPON is introduced to a GPON system, GPON user data will not change, for the 10G GPON is a network overlaying the GPON. Only the user data of the 10G GPON users needs to be configured on the BRAS/AAA server.

Consistency of operations in the NMS

The NMS also needs to be upgraded to support the 10G GPON. At the same time, user data must be reconfigured according to the hardware and ONUs actually configured. After the upgrade, the NMS must be consistent with the original system in the O&M interfaces and procedures to ensure that O&M engineers can perform operations without changing methods. In addition, the upgraded NMS must inherit the NBI specifications of the current GPON system so as to be compatible with the current OSS in resource management, service provisioning, and service assurance and to avoid unnecessary adjustments on the OSS.

The evolution from GPON to10G GPON is a complex process. At each stage, careful, comprehensive analysis should be conducted to ensure that the best upgrade solution is developed. Huawei has come up with GPON solutions that are commercially deployed worldwide, and is leading the industry in both 10G GPON products and solutions.

With an in-depth understanding of the evolution from GPON to 10G GPON, Huawei continues to verify the integrity, ease of use, and reliability of these solutions through customer pilots run with Verizon in the U.S. and major Chinese operators.

Thanks for your reading, the electronic version and subscription information are available at www.huawei.com/communicate. Questions and suggestions may be directed to the editor concerned.

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

Crosstalk between lines and external interference are the fundamental reasons for limited performance in commercial VDSL2 deployment. Fortunately for the industry, there are a variety of DSL technologies to cancel interference on DSL lines.

By Fang Liming & Long Guozhu

New technologies give DSL a fresh lease of life

he DSL acces s ra te has dramatically increased from a couple of Mbps to tens of Mbps for the past decade.

VDSL2 devices permit up to 100Mbps in both uplink and downlink directions. Since most operators still have extensive c o p p e r - w i r e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , t h e FTTx+VDSL2 model enables them to leverage it to reduce the capital expenditure and provide sufficient bandwidth. Therefore, this model is currently regarded by many operators as the best solution for replacing copper wires with optical fibers.

The actual rate of VDSL2, though, is by far lower than the al lowable maximum rate, and the service stability

T is also a big challenge. Operators are urgently in need of new technologies for large-scale VDSL2 network deployment. And the f irst step toward a viable solution is to identify the root causes.

Tw i s t ed p a i r s we re o r i g in a l l y designed to transmit voice signals, generally at a frequency band of 300Hz to 4KHz. At higher frequency bands, the performance of twisted pairs will degenerate – the higher the frequency band, the higher the loop attenuation and the higher the crosstalk interference between lines. When transmitting data signals at faster rates, VDSL2 uses a much wider bandwidth than voice. Profile 30a specified by VDSL2 (standardized as ITU-T G.993.2)

adopts a bandwidth of up to 30MHz. Transmitting signals with such a high frequency on common twisted pairs aggravates the interference between lines or crosstalk. Test data show that interference between lines is the most fundamental cause of deteriorating VDSL2 rates and stability.

In practice, while crosstalk occurs between neighboring l ines , high-frequency signals transmitted through VDSL2 are also vulnerable to external interferences or impulse noise. As a result, the bit error rate (BER) on transmission lines may increase and service interruption may occur.

T h e r e f o r e , t h e r e d u c t i o n o r elimination of crosstalk interference

Leading Edge

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Editor: Xue Hua xuehua@huawei.com

encumbering VDSL2 is highly desirable in solving the VDSL2 engineering issues. Fortunately, with the great effort by the DSL industry, relevant technologies are maturing and will be introduced below.

Vectored DSL

The Vectored DSL project was formally initiated at the ITU-T Q4 standardization meeting in 2006. It aimed to cancel crosstalk interferences from other lines in the same cable through joint signal processing for a group of lines that are called “vectors”. Because vectored DSL el iminates crosstalk interference between users, the signal-to-noise ratio at the DSL receiving end increases significantly. Under the same loop conditions, the average rate of vectored DSL is about 70% higher than that of VDSL2. The gain is especially higher on shorter loops where the rate can double. Besides the improved rate, vectored DSL greatly helps in maintaining the stability at the level at least comparable to ADSL.

The vectored DSL standard has been finalized. Now several chip makers can provide prototypes for vendors to begin pilot production. The progress made so far has led to the belief that the first vectored DSLAM will be ready for field trial soon, and that successful deployment will come about in the next two years.

DSL SOS

IPTV is the main service carried by VDSL2 and high QoS is generally expected . I f the ADSL2 network disconnects at the moment of a game-winning goal during a soccer match, the subscribers grumble and never forget. Zero disconnections, rather than a low disconnection rate, are definitely a winner for DSL operators.

Huawei DSL SOS technology can effectively solve the disconnection problem caused by suddenly increased noise. With

this technology, in the event of sudden noise increases, instead of disconnecting and then restarting DSL will continue to maintain the connection by quickly switching to a more robust mode through the quick response mechanism, and the service will run continuously without interruption. After the increased noise condition goes away, the DSL will regain the higher rate by virtue of seamless rate adaptation technologies.

The DSL SOS technology has been recognized by the DSL industry thanks to its practicality and ability to enhance user experience. It is now standardized and suppor t ed by mul t ip l e ch ip vendors and in the near future, zero-disconnection DSL may become reality.

Retransmission technology for the physical layer

In addition to disconnection issues, the BER is another key factor that impacts the image quality of IPTV – the lower the BER, the higher the quality of the images. When the noise margin is zero, the BER designed for DSL is about 10-7, which can basically meet the requirements of standard definition videos, but is not adequate for HD.

The current industry practice to lower the BER of DSL is to increase the noise margin by such means as setting a higher noise margin or higher virtual noise, but that is not effective for handling a burst of impulse noise. To maintain a low BER for the DSL that is impacted by impulse noise, the industry has proposed the re t ransmis s ion technology for the physical layer of DSL. This technology reduces the BER of DSL to such a low level as to fully meet the uninterrupted transmission requirements for HD. It is applicable to both VDSL2 and ADSL. The ITU-T has developed a standard specifically for this technology – G.INP. This standard has been finalized and it enjoys the support of a number of chip makers.

Super MIMO

In some countries and regions, two twisted copper pairs are usually available for each residential premise – one pair for carrying POTS and DSL services and the other for backup. In this scenario, operators can use both pairs with the DSL bundling technology to bundle the two data streams and deliver twice the original rate. In addition to bundling two pairs to double the rate, Super MIMO can triple the rate by creating an extra channel between the two pairs in virtual mode, known as the common-mode (CM) channel.

As a result, with only two twisted pairs, users can access the network at rates of up to 300Mbps. For applications where more twisted pairs are available and higher data rates are needed, such as wireless backhaul, more virtual pairs can be created and even higher rates are achievable. For example, if four twisted pairs are available, three virtual pairs can be created for a total of seven pairs to achieve up to 700Mbps.

The aforementioned vectored DSL technology can eliminate crosstalk between pairs to achieve full potential of multiple pairs. In particular, the Super MIMO technology minimizes the crosstalk interference between the newly created CM channel and the original two channels, facilitating the use of the vectored DSL technology and completely eliminating interference. According to test data, the channel capacity of the CM channel is about the same as or even higher than that of the original channel.

The new DSL technologies not only substantially enhance the DSL rate but also improve QoS. Bottlenecks limiting the large-scale VDSL2 deployment will be removed substantially. The DSL will remain one of the most important broadband access technologies for quite a long time.

New technologies give DSL a fresh lease of life

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

The Enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM) is a key component of the TM Forum’s Next Generation Operations Systems and Software (NGOSS). As a widely deployed and accepted framework for business processes in the communications industry, eTOM describes and analyzes various levels of enterprise processes according to their significance and priority, spanning details from high-level decomposition to specific context areas.

By Li Sihao & Chen Qibiao

What lies below eTOM level 3?

eTOM needs continual evolution

h e e TO M 8 . 0 r e l e a s e comprises Level-0, Level-1, L e v e l - 2 a n d L e v e l - 3 business processes . The

process structure of eTOM embodies hierarchical decomposition, which enables an enterprise’s business processes to be successively decomposed in a series of levels. Process descriptions, inputs, outputs, and other key elements are defined.

T h e b u s i n e s s p r o c e s s e s a n d corresponding descriptions of eTOM can be further refined and clarified by decomposing Level 3 processes to lower levels, wherever possible. At Level 3, a number of sub-tasks are described,

Tthough the inputs and outputs of Level 3 processes still cause confusion. This leads to poorly defined application functionality and interfaces, which are required to support the processes. This problem can also cause unclear re spons ib i l i t y d iv i s ions be tween departments, thus increasing OPEX.

The eTOM document GB921F 7.5 Example Process Flows, for example, describes several sub-tasks in the Level 3 process flow “Advice of Charge”(see Fig. 1). In turn, The “Apply Pricing, Discount ing & Rebate” bus ines s processes can be decomposed into three tasks (see Fig. 2): 1) “Obtain Billing Event”; 2) “Determine Customer Account”; and 3) “Review Agreed Customer Bill Adjustment”.

The “Create & Deliver Bill” business

process can be decomposed into five tasks (see Fig. 2), which include 1) “Design & Develop Invoicing Process”, 2) “Render & Format Invoice”, 3) “Verify Invoice Quality”, 4) “Deliver Electronic Invoice”, and 5) “Store Customer Invoice”.

In this context, “Design & Develop Invoicing Process” can be removed from the “Advice of Charge” flow as it may cause misunderstanding among vendors during product development. eTOM Level 4 decomposition clarifies and refines the Level 3 business process and better directs vendors to product design and development goals.

Semant i c ana ly s i s i s a p roce s s decomposition technique described in User Guidelines for eTOM (GB921-U) that can supplement the exi s t ing techniques employed by an organization. Semantic analysis is frequently carried out iteratively with other techniques, and can result in updating a process description to which Semantic Analysis has been applied. The goal is to ensure that final decomposition is consistent with the parent process description in the context of Semantic Analysis.

What benefits will Level 4 bring?

The eTOM Level 4 decomposition requires contributions from all parties in the value chain, including operators, service providers (SPs), vendors, and application and system suppliers. SPs and vendors illustrate the benefits brought by eTOM Level 4.

Advice of Charge Request Charge Presented to Customer

Fig. 1 Level 3 process flow “Advice of Charge”

Market Product & Custome

Service

Resource(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/Partner

Process Resource Data

Report Resource Data

Mediate Service Usage Records

Apply Pricing, Discounting & Rebate

Create & Deliver Bill

Manage Request(Including Self Service)

Advice of Charge

Leading Edge

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 5755

For service providers, a further decomposed eTOM framework contains more detailed standardized business processes with which to construct flows. Service providers can have a better understanding of each business process to satisfy customer needs and optimize service experience. Internally, eTOM can help employees in various departments understand their responsibilities, increase collaboration efficiency, and reduce OPEX.

Vendors benefit as Level 4 provides clearer interfaces between different funct ional modules and essent ia l functions, which can greatly reduce integration costs. Moreover, vendors can more easily understand their customers’ business requirements as additional details are provided by further eTOM decomposition. Ultimately, development costs and delivery time can be reduced.

More enhancements to come

The eTOM, S ID, In t eg r a t i on F r a m e w o r k , TA M , a n d o t h e r technologies form a systemized standard for operation systems and software.

In general, SID analyzes information

models and supplies the entities upon which the business processes act. The Integration Framework emphasizes functionality and capabilities, and clarifies the interfaces between the different modules and business services necessary to construct application and support interoperability. The TAM provides an application-oriented view of the other three frameworks.

eTOM decomposition influences the evolution of the SID, the Integration Framework, and the TAM, and vice ver sa . In fac t , the eTOM revea l s and standardizes basic functionality r e q u i r e m e n t s . F u r t h e r e T O M decomposition will drive requirements for a more detailed information model, new interfaces, business services, and new application functionalities.

The eTOM, S ID, In t eg r a t i on Framework and TAM should be holistically understood as interrelated constituent parts that must be consistent. eTOM decomposition may lead to refining and extending the SID, helping even to develop and standardize lower levels of SID Aggregate Business Entities (ABEs). The TAM, Integration Framework, and other TM Forum work products require input from the eTOM and SID.

An active industry player

The Huawei BSS1.1 integration solutions adopt eTOM as their basis for developing application scenarios and defining the ESB based interface. As an increasingly active member of the TM Forum, Huawei has passed eTOM compliance certification in phase one as the first BSS/OSS vendor. In the billing domain, Huawei has made several proposals for eTOM Level 4 decomposition based on its considerable BSS experience and semantic analysis capabilities.

Huawei’s contribution has already been applied to the GB942 integration framework document to facilitate ongoing mapping work between eTOM, SID and TAM. Moreover, Huawei has been instrumental in developing a new payment model for SID, and has passed all aspects of SID compliance certification. Huawei plays a vital role in the Telecom Management Forum, which is the major standard organization for the BSS/OSS industry.

What lies below eTOM level 3?

Advice of Charge Request Charge Presented to Customer

Fig. 2 Level 4 process flow “Advice of Charge”

Market Product & Customer

Service

Resource(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/Partner

Advice of Charge

Process Resource Data Report Resource Data

Mediate Service Usage Records

Apply Pricing, Discounting & Rebate Create & Deliver BillManage Request

(Including Self Service)

Render & Format Invoice

Verify Invoice Quality

Deliver Electronic

Invoice

Store Customer Invoice

Determine Customer Account

Obtain Billing Event

Review Agreed Customer Bill Adjustment

Design & Develop Invoicing

Process

Editor: Michael huangzhuojian@huawei.com

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57

Huawei Communicate

Leading Edge

SEP 2010 . ISSUE 57 57

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