Verizon Tests NG-PON2 with Calix and Ericsson

PETALUMA, CA — Verizon has invited Calix, a provider of enabling technology for next generation service delivery, and long-time partner Ericsson to test NG-PON2 (Next Generation Passive Optical Network Two) solutions in Verizon's Innovation Lab in Waltham, Mass. This announcement provides further validation of NG-PON2 as the next generation technology of choice for fiber access networks. Since the standardization work culminated in finalization of the technical standards in October 2015, NG-PON2 has rapidly gained momentum in the industry.

Starting this month, Verizon will begin initial testing with equipment from Ericsson (in partnership with Calix) and ADTRAN. Testing will focus on several features of NG-PON2, including tuning performance, ability to carry residential and business services on the same platform, and interoperability and conformance testing to meet Verizon ONT specifications.

“When it comes to NG-PON2, ADTRAN and Ericsson/Calix have developed new designs and some novel, yet different, approaches that put them at the forefront of the industry,” said Vincent O’Byrne, Ph.D., director of network planning for Verizon.

40 Gbps over a Single Fiber Connection
To ready the technology for mass deployment, Calix has used its AXOS platform for advanced technology demonstrations and interoperability work. Starting in late 2015 and throughout 2016, Calix has publicly demonstrated advanced NG-PON2 features, such as technology co-existence and wavelength mobility, publicly demonstrating bonded NG-PON2 delivering service speeds of up to 40 Gbps over a single fiber connection.

Verizon Testing NG-PON2 for Fios Customers
Verizon is assessing this next-generation technology to provide increased speeds and functionality to customers on its Fios network. NG-PON2 technology supports up to 40G of total capacity and up to 10G speeds per customer, both upstream and downstream, over a single fiber – a tenfold increase over some of the current speeds in the industry. Using NG-PON2 technology, the company plans to initially deploy a number of business services in 2017, followed by residential services as the technology matures and the market demands.

This technology allows Verizon to easily increase system capacity by adding wavelengths to meet the demand for traffic drivers such as ultra high definition video, virtual reality applications and cloud services. By implementing this advanced technology without having to change the current underlying fiber optic infrastructure, additional traffic can be carried cost effectively. Verizon also can improve flexibility and resiliency using NG-PON2, because traffic can be shifted amongst multiple wavelengths without impacting customers.

Calix has participated in the interoperability standards work at Full Service Access Network (FSAN) group, acting as co-editor of the PON PMD Layer (Physical Media Dependent) Conformance Test Plan. Recently, Calix successfully tested activation, provisioning over OMCI (ONU Management and Control Interface), and passing line-rate traffic using NG-PON2.