Calix and Northpower Fibre Demo Multi-wavelength NG-PON2 Service Delivery

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – Calix, a provider of broadband communications access systems, announced that it has demonstrated its NG-PON2 technology in a live network. New Zealand’s Northpower Fibre leveraged the same E7-2 modular access system that it is deploying throughout its network to deliver 10 Gbps speeds over multiple wavelengths to 812NG GigaHubs located in a business premises and residential home in Whangarei.

This achievement ushers in a new era for service providers as they begin to fully leverage the potential of fiber for both a subscriber experience as well as for business transformation. As Northpower Fibre begins to further deploy NG-PON2-enabled systems with Calix AXOS, the company can begin to drive down its OPEX and CAPEX profile by further converging disparate business, residential and backhaul services onto one network. In time, NG-PON2 will enable Northpower Fibre to continue to differentiate itself in a growing ultra-fast broadband (UFB) marketplace stimulated by the New Zealand government’s second phase of its UFB programme.

Deploying Fiber Broadband in Rural Areas
“New Zealand is undergoing a major broadband vitalization effort, and we see the emergence of NG-PON2 technology as a major enabler going forward,” said Darren Mason, CEO of Northpower Fibre. “As attention in the second phase of UFB shifts from the cities to bring fiber broadband to more rural areas, Northpower Fibre will be leading the way having committed to connect 12 new towns to fiber within the next four years. With Calix as our partner and the AXOS E7-2 supporting the deployment, we have been amazed by how quickly we had jaw-dropping speeds and services up and running. We’ve shown the world that NG-PON2 is real, and we are excited for all of the new efficiencies and opportunities NG-PON2 will bring to our future business.”

Providing New Business Efficiencies
NG-PON2 provides Northpower Fibre with new business efficiencies in their open access model. Multiple wavelengths on a single fiber can be divided up for use by different service providers, instead of each service provider requiring a separate PON. NG-PON2 enables the isolation of services between the providers, allowing one to make service updates and changes, with no impact on the other providers. In addition, with the AXOS “always on” capability, Northpower Fibre can make its own live upgrades without service disruption or impact to the multiple service providers utilizing their fiber infrastructure.