Operators Look to Next-Gen FTTH Technologies

CAMPBELL, CA — Operators are evaluating next-generation technologies to solve their future bandwidth requirements, according to a new study from Infonetics Research. Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband and video at Infonetics Research, says, "When we recently surveyed global service providers about their FTTH deployment strategies, almost half said they are evaluating 10GPON, and a small but significant number are already evaluating WDM-PON, asymmetric 10GEPON and symmetric 10GEPON. With this in mind, FTTH equipment vendors need to step up efforts to educate their customers about the advantages of next-gen technologies.”

Service providers said the top two drivers for deploying next-generation FTTH technologies were delivery of over-the-top video and handling multiple concurrent VoD streams in the home. When asked what capabilities they require in FTTH optical network terminals (ONTs), 73 percent of service providers named VoIP.

Infonetics Research interviewed purchase decision-makers at incumbent telecom service providers in North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific that use PON or Ethernet FTTH for broadband access. A majority of the respondents have been deploying GPON and Ethernet FTTH aggressively over the last three to four years. In aggregate, the service providers surveyed represent 28 percent of worldwide public service provider capital expenditures and 19 percent of revenue. They include some of the world's largest fixed-line providers.