FTTx and GPON

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Some notes for my poor memory.

Some definitions:

  • Optical Line Terminal (OLT)
  • Fiber to the home (FTTH)
  • Fiber to the antenna (FTTA)
  • Fiber to the building (FTTB)
  • Fiber to the node (FTTN)
  • Fiber to the curb (FTTC)
  • passive optical network (PON) technologies

Point to point (PtP) architecture

Advantages:

  • Better bandwidth as there are not many equipment between sender and receiver.
  • Lower latency (delay between sending and receiving data)
  • More reliability: more reliable as there are fewer potential points of failure.

Disadvantages:

  • Equipment cost is higher.
  • Installation costs is higher as it requires laying individual fiber optic cables to each home or business.
  • Higher maintenance costs: as there more individual components.

Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) architecture

Advantages:

  • Equipment cost is more affordable.
  • Lower installation costs, as it only requires a single fiber optic cable to be run to each neighborhood or building, then it drives the lines to each individual end point.
  • Fewer individual components and can be easier and less expensive to maintain.

Disadvantages:

  • Bandwidth could be compromised in some cases as multiple users share the same OLT, which can lead to congestion during peak usage times.
  • Higher latency (as there are more equipment in the middle).
  • Less reliable: due to potential issues with the OLT or a fiber optic splitter. This can provoke that multiple users can be affected.

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