Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective

Triple Play Support

John George
OFS
Systems Engineering Manager FTTP and Premises Networks
770-798-2432 johngeorge@ofsoptics.com

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

p. 1 of 11

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
John George
OFS
Systems Engineering Manager FTTP and Premises Networks
770-798-2432 johngeorge@ofsoptics.com

Abstract
The Passive Optical Network (PON) is becoming an increasingly popular architecture for Fiber to
the Premises (FTTP) networks. Most providers plan to serve customers with voice, video, and
data services, to maximize return on investment. Providers implementing PONs desire a network
layout that provides maximum reach of up to 20 KM and a 1:32 split ratio to the premises in
order to consolidate centralized active equipment and minimize fiber costs.
An analysis of the optical limitations of FTTP cabling systems along with systems testing has
shown optical system design strategies and tactics can minimize cost and maximize system
performance for triple play passive optical networks. The analysis has shown that supporting a 20
KM reach with 1:32 split ratio for BPON, GPON, and EPON networks providing triple play
services is possible using a properly engineered and designed optical system. Such as system
meets this objective by minimizing optical path loss of the optical distribution network (ODN),
using low cost and commercially available optical transceivers and transmission systems.
Furthermore, it is shown that a low loss ODN supports todays applications and provides an
economical upgrade path to future higher bandwidth applications.

Reach Requirements and Benefits of Extended Reach

The vast majority (>99%) of CO to subscriber distances in existing US installations are less than
6 KM i. However, the savings associated with CO consolidation have driven recent and new
deployments to longer distances. Doubling the reach from CO to subscriber can eliminate 75% of
CO locations in a network, reducing costs for real estate, staff, power, and other life cycle cost
elements. Figure 1 shows the CO to subscriber reach for new builds planned by 3 US RBOCs.
Figure 1 US CO to Subscriber Distances for FTTP (Selected RBOCs)

KM

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Verizon
SBC
Bellsouth

75% 80% 85% 95% 99%

Source: Customer Distance From CO

Report and Telco Operator Service
Requirements For PON Architectures
(ford_1_1101.pdf presented to IEEE
802.3ah), and Verizon. 99% distance is
OFS estimate.

Subscriber Coverage
The reach requirements for cost effective deployments outside of the US have been reported to be
less than 5 - 10 KM due to generally greater population density.

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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PON Description
PONs deployed today typically use a single port at the Central Office/Headend (CO/HE) to serve
up to n subscribers through a 1 to n optical split ratio. The split ratio is typically 32, 16, or 8 and
may be configured with a single splitter or multiple concatenated splitters. By serving multiple
subscribers from a single port in the CO/HE over a completely passive network, the PON can
reduce CO space requirements and network life cycle costs.
Voice, Data, and IP Video, and CATV video can all be supported on a PON by using Wavelength
Division Multiplexing (WDM). Voice, Data, and IP video can be transmitted from the Optical
Line Terminal (OLT) to the subscriber at 1490 nm using Time Division Multiplexing (TDM).
Each subscribers optical network terminal (ONT) receives all information transmitted to all
subscribers, but can only see information addressed to it. Voice, Data, and IP video are
transmitted from the subscriber ONT at 1310 nm using time division multiple access technology
(TDMA). For upstream communication, the ONT is given time slots to transmit bits. Finally, in
some cases a broadcast video overlay carried at 1550 nm is added to the PON using WDM, using
the same RF (radio frequency) technology that is employed in CATV networks. This 1550 nm RF
signal can carry analog channels, digital channels, or both. Migration lower cost all digital video
is clearly occurring, but there will be some deployment of RF analog video overlay on PONs for a
limited time. A typical PON architecture is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Typical PON Configuration, with CATV RF Video Overlay

CO/HE
EDFA

CATV

1310 nm
1550 nm

32

32

ONT

WDM

OLT

1490 nm
1 fiber per 32 subscribers

Splitter(s)
1 fiber per subscriber

32

Standards
There are three standards for PON in use today. The BPON and GPON standards written by the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) specify the wavelength plan described above for
voice, video, and data services, and additionally specify that the 1360 1480 nm band can be
used in the future. Deployment of ITU G.652D zero water peak fiber enables use of the 1360
1480 nm band. The BPON and GPON standards also specify that digital (baseband) video
services can be added to the PON on the ITU DMDM wavelength grid from 1539nm to 1565nm.
The EPON standard published by IEEE in August 2004 uses two of the three ITU PON
wavelengths by specifying the 1310 nm and 1490 nm wavelengths for upstream and downstream
services respectively. The IEEE standard does not specify the wavelength(s) to be used for
optional video overlay services, but the IEEE specifications do accommodate the use of the 1550
nm RF video, 1360 1480 nm band, and 1539 1565 nm bands. Table 1 below summarizes the
key specifications in the three PON standards.

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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Table 1 PON Standards - Key optical specifications

Type and
protocol
EPON

Data Rate(s) and reach

1.25 Gb/s downstream
(D) and upstream (U)

Ethernet Passive
Optical Network

1000BASE-PX10 10KM
1000BASE-PX20 20KM

BPON

622 or 155 Mb/s

downstream 1490 nm

Broadband
Passive Optical
Network

Standard

Power budget1

Fiber type(s)

IEEE
802.3ah

PX-10U
PX-10D
PX-20U
PX-20D

32 max

ITU
G.983.3
2001

(Channel
Insertion loss)
Class A Optics
20 dB
Class B Optics
25 dB
Class C Optics
30 dB

Singlemode
ITU G.652c/d
(low or zero
water peak)
ITU G.652
(std SMF)
Singlemode
ITU G.652c/d
(low or zero
water peak)
ITU G.652
(std SMF)

64
max
32
typical

ITU G
984.2
2004

(Channel
Insertion loss)
Class A Optics
20 dB
Class B Optics
25 dB
Class C Optics
30 dB

Split
ratio
16
nominal
32
permitted

155 Mb/s upstream

1310 nm

ATM

20 KM2 maximum
logical reach.

GPON

2.488 or 1.244 Gb/s

downstream
2.488 or 1.244 Gb/s or
622 Mb/s or 155 Mb/s
upstream.

Gigabit capable
Passive Optical
Network
ATM or Ethernet3

60 KM max logical
reach, 20 KM max
typical

23 dB
21 dB
26 dB
26 dB

Singlemode
ITU G.652c/d
(low or zero
water peak)
ITU G.652
(std SMF)

Wavelength Plan
The PON standards referenced above all use or accommodate the same wavelength plan, which
enables increase standardization of optical transceivers and lower costs. The wavelength plan is
shown below in Figure 2.
Figure 2 PON Wavelength plan with RF Video overlay.

Wavelength
(nm)
1250

Data/Voice/Video
Upstream
1300

1310

1350

Zero-Water Peak Fiber

Data/Voice/Video

Upgrade band

Downstream

1400

1450

1500

1370 1390 1410 1430 1450 1470 1490

RF
Video

Isolation
Bands

1550

1600

1555

The power budget for BPON and GPON is for channel insertion loss only and dispersion and noise are accounted for
separately by a 1 dB maximum optical path penalty that the transceiver must meet. The normative power budget for
EPONs specified in IEEE 802.3ah includes channel insertion loss plus dispersion and noise.
2
the 20 KM and 60 KM maximum reach for BPON and GPON is the logical limit constrained by the TMDA
specifications. The reach limit in practice varies and is typically lower than the logical limit depending on the power
budget, split ratio, and cabling system channel insertion loss.
3
GPON employs either the Generic Framing Protocol or GPON Encapsulation Method, either of which can carry ATM
or Ethernet.

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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It has been shown previously that the use of Zero Water Peak fibers compliant with ITU
G.652.D specifications enables cost effective upgrades using CWDM wavelengths in the 1360
1480 nm band. ii Such G.652D fibers are included in each of the PON standards described in
table 1.

PON RF Video Overlay Design Considerations

RF Video overlay transmission equipment employed for FTTP is typically that used for CATV
Hybrid Fiber COAX (HFC) systems. The video receivers at the subscriber location have been
developed specifically to support FTTP applications.
The RF video PON overlay worst case deployed today is 80 analog channels from 50 to 550
MHz, and potentially many additional channels using sub-carrier multiplexing with 64-QAM or
256-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). To achieve good picture quality for this worst
case or any case, there are three specifications that must be met at the home receiver.
Channel to Noise Ratio (CNR) is the key parameter, and must be above 44 dB to meet
FCC requirements and above 47 dB to eliminate noticeable video snow.
Composite Second Order distortion (CSO) should be less than 54 dBc to avoid
swimming diagonal stripes in the video.
Composite Triple Beat distortion (CTB) should be less than 54 dBc to avoid horizontal
lines in the video.
With standard RF video transmission systems at 20 KM distances the critical parameter to
manage is CNR. In this case if CNR is above 47 dB, then the CSO and CTB requirements are
easily met. A 48 dB CNR translates into a requirement that 5.0 dBm of power must be received
by the ONT in order to achieve good picture quality. Receiver manufacturers are working to
improve CNR performance and have stated that an additional 3 dB improvement is possible and
planned for such products, by reducing thermal noise. This will soon result in receivers
supporting 48 dB CNR with only 8.0 dBm of received power.
SBS
One constraint on the transmission end of the video system is the Stimulated Brillion Scattering
(SBS) limit. SBS results when very high power transmission into a relatively long length (>10
KM) of fiber causes an acoustic wave to be set-up in the fiber, resulting in reflection of a portion
of the transmitted power back to the transmitter. Power levels significantly greater than the SBS
limit can increase noise at the receiver and degrade CNR and picture quality. The SBS limit
restricts the maximum power than can be transmitted into a fiber to about 7 dBm. For years
manufacturers of CATV RF video optical transmitters have been able to cost effectively, and
dramatically increase the effective power limit by utilizing SBS suppression techniques. SBS
suppression techniques have improved and will continue to improve over time according to
manufacturers of such equipment. Today, standard video transmitters have an SBS rating of 16
dBm to 20 dBm. However, these SBS ratings are typically at distances of 50 KM or more since
these transmitters were initially designed to support CATV backbones. Since SBS increases with
fiber length, these same transmitters will provide 2.5 dBm greater of SBS suppression at 20 KM
distances as confirmed in testing by OFS discussed later in the paper, and previously by George
BuAbbud, et al., as described in an NFOEC 2003 paper and shown in Figure 4.

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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Figure 4 CNR degradation vs. Launch Power for 16 dBm SBS Rated transmitter iii

SRS
Transmission from the OLT at the1490 nm wavelength can cause Stimulated Raman Scattering
(SRS) induced noise in the 1550 nm video signal. This noise can result in reduced CNR if the
1490 nm power exceeds certain limits. But such SRS has been shown to cause only <0.25 dB of
CNR degradation if S-band (1480 1500 nm) launch power is limited to -1dBm, +1dBm and
+3dBm for 155Mbps, 622Mbps and 1.25Gbps downstream digital rates respectively. Such launch
power constraints are cost effectively accommodated in modern optical transceivers.

PON RF Video Power Budgets

As described in the Buabbud paper and from theory, the scaling effect shown in figure 4 will
apply to transmitters of different SBS ratings. From this understanding of practical SBS limits
and received power requirements, it is possible to calculate the CATV 1550 nm RF analog video
power budget options available to FTTP network designers, shown in Table 2.
Table 2 1550 nm RF analog video power budget
Transmitter
SBS Rating@
50 KM (dBm)

Transmitter
SBS Limit
scaled to 20
KM (dBm)

Received Power (dBm) to

achieve clear picture

16

18.5

-5.0 (2004)
-6.0 (2005)

23.5
24.5

17

19.5

-5.0 (2004)
-6.0 (2005)

24.5
25.5

18

20.5

-5.0 (2004)
-6.0 (2005)

25.5
26.5

Budget
(dB)

(48 dB CNR for 80 analog

channels, plus digital)

* Most conservative budget

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

p. 6 of 11

Digital Video and Receiver Improvements Ease RF Video Power Constraints

The CATV and FTTP industries are migrating quickly to all digital broadcast video systems to
reduce cost, reduce theft, and increase effective bandwidth to add channels and accommodate the
4X higher bandwidth requirement for HDTV channels. For example, Comcast recently
announced plans to convert all customers to fully digital video over the next two years.
There are two primary methods of transmitting digital video to FTTP subscribers: Carrying
digital video on an RF signal at 1550 nm using 64-QAM or 256-QAM, or transmitting Video
over IP at the 1490 nm wavelength. In the former case the received power minimum at the home
is reported to be 12 dBm or lower, adding at least 7 dB to the video power budget. In the case of
IP Video the signal is all-digital, on the 1490 nm wavelength, and the reach is primarily
constrained by the ODN loss and power budget between the OLT transmitter and ONT receiver.
The received power for IP video is the same as that for the voice and data services at 1490 nm
and it typically from 20 dBm to 30 dBm depending on the transceiver specification.
The key constraint that must be overcome to support current and future IP Video is to provide a
sufficient data rate downstream to support 3 HDTV channels per home and also support internet
and voice bandwidth requirements. Assuming 3 HDTV channels using MPEG-4 or Windows
Media 9 compression, and 10 Mb/s for internet and voice, a minimum sustainable bandwidth of
30 - 35 Mbps per home is required. If HDTV over IP video is in the planning horizon for a FTTP
PON, it is recommended that a GPON or EPON with a maximum split ratio of 1:32 or 1:16 be
employed to meet such bandwidth requirements.
Power constraints for Analog RF video at 1550 nm are easing for transmitters and receivers.
Receiver manufacturers are improving received power by 1 2 dB per year, while transmitter
manufacturers are improving SBS suppression using cost effective techniques.

PON Triple Play Reach Analysis

The performance of both the passive and active portions of the optical system vary as a function
of wavelength. Thus the optical system performance at each wavelength must be analyzed to
identify the reach constraint for the PON. The PON standards for upstream (1310 nm) and
downstream (1490 nm) links typically specify minimum requirements for optical transceiver
specifications. The optical loss of the ODN is the primary impairment to reach for the 1:32 split
ratio case that is designed for cost effect in PON architectures. The optical loss of the ODN, also
known as channel insertion loss, is described in Equation 1.
Equation 1 Channel Insertion Loss
ChIL = (Attncable)(Length)+(Lsplice)(Nsplices)+ (Lconn)(Nconn)+(Lsplit)
Attncable
Length
Lsplice
Nsplices
Lconn
Nconn
Lsplit

Attenuation for Cable

Length of cable from OLT to ONU
Loss per splice
Number of splices
Loss per connector
Number of connections (mated optical connector pairs)
Loss total for splitter(s)

dB/KM
KM
dB
dB
dB

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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ODN Model
The model shown in Figure 3 will be used for all subsequent analyses. The reach analyses will
include two cases, with the first being the use of a standard cabling system, and the second the
use of a low loss cabling system. In all cases, we assume a link configuration with 4 connections
(mated connector pairs) and 6 fusion splices.
Figure 3 Model Network Configuration.
CATV

EDFA

1550 nm

1 x 32

WDM

1310 nm
ONT

OLT

1490 nm

ODN

Splitter 1:32

Conventional Cabling System

Maximum Loss (dB)

Low Loss System

Maximum Loss (dB)

18.5

17.0

Connection

0.75

0.15

Splices

0.088

0.067

Fiber Cable
(1310 nm)

0.40 dB/KM

0.35 dB/KM

Fiber Cable
(1550 nm)

0.30 dB/KM

0.25 dB/KM

The ODN loss for the Conventional Cabling System and Low Loss System cases described above
is calculated based a 3 standard deviation statistical model using the mean and standard deviation
of each of the loss elements described above in Figure 3. In addition, 1 dB of margin was also
included to account for additional connections and/or splices. These ODN loss assumptions were
used for 1310nm, 1490nm, and 1550nm calculations.
Note the ODN as defined for this analysis does not include the WDMs at the OLT and ONT.

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

p. 8 of 11

BPON and GPON Reach

The reach for the BPON and GPON cases at 1310 nm and 1490 nm is calculated based on the
power budget provided for by the optical transceivers utilized in the system. The ITU standard
describes classes of ODN loss varying from 15 to 30 dB, and transceiver vendors design products
designed to operate with various levels of ODN loss with this range, but most focus on providing
for an ODN budget of 25 29 dB. Within the ITU standard it is specified that the optical
dispersion and noise penalty for a compliant transceiver is less than 1 dB total for the link, and it
is assumed that transceiver vendors account for these penalties in their specifications. The ODN
assumptions described above were used for this modeling. Figure 4 shows the results of the
modeling.
Figure 4 - BPON and GPON reach modeling with 1550 nm full analog video overlay
20
15

1 dB of margin assumed

KM 10

for each case

5
0

Low Loss System

1550
1490
1310
Reach

Conventional Cabling
System

Assumptions - BPON and GPON

Wavelength
1310 nm
1490 nm
1550 nm

Tx-Rx Power Budget

27 dB
25 dB
23 dB

Note that the modeled reach of the Low Loss system exceeds 20 KM by at least 10% for each of
the three wavelengths. Also, the reach constraining wavelength depends in the power budget
assumptions and the loss of the system.
EPON Reach
The EPON Reach is calculated using the IEEE link model used by 802.3ah to create the
specifications for Ethernet in the First Mile PON (EPON), and are shown below in Figure 5
Figure 5 - EPON reach modeling (1000BASE-PX20) with 1550 nm full analog video overlay
20
15
KM 10

1 dB of margin assumed
for each case

5
0

Low Loss System

1550
1490
1310
Reach

Conventional Cabling
System

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

p. 9 of 11

Assumptions - EPON
Wavelength Tx-Rx Power Budget
1310 nm
27 dB
1490 nm
26 dB*
1550 nm
23 dB
* The minimum required by the IEEE 802.3 standard for 1000BASE-PX20

PON Test Results and Analysis

OFS performed testing of triple play over PON services with two prominent FTTP equipment
vendors representing both BPON and EPON equipment, and in each case included an 80 channel
analog plus digital video overlay at 1550 nm. In both cases an 1550 nm RF transmitter with a 16
dBm SBS suppression ratio @50 60 KM was used, data traffic was simulated upstream at 1310
nm and downstream at 1490nm, and error rates and video CNR and CSO were measured. The
highest loss port of the 32 splitter outputs was measured, and the analog video measurements
included the worst case channel 2. The results of the testing are shown below in Table 3.
Table 3 - OFS PON Test Results using low loss system

EPON
21 KM
25 KM
1:32 / single fiber
LC-UPC
5
6
6
8
G.652D Zero Water peak
Zero

Reach(s) Tested
Split Ratio / fiber count
Connector Type
Connections
Splices
Fiber Type
Data (CRC) errors
at 1310 nm &1490 nm
SBS Limit into fiber 4
>19 dBm
Power into fiber to achieve 48 dB 17 dBm
CNR (after WDM)
CNR at Max power (19 dBm)
52 dB
CSO worst case
< -60dB
Received power at 48 dB CNR
-5 dBm

18 dBm
51 dB

BPON
21 KM
1:32 / single fiber
LC-UPC
5
6
G.652D Zero Water peak
Zero
>19 dBm
17 dBm
50 dB
<- 60dB
-5 dBm

Cost Considerations for Analog Video over PON

If an analog RF video overlay is required on a PON, one must carefully design the system to
minimize cost. EDFA transmission power can account for a substantial cost per subscriber in a
network and should be minimized to speed return on investment (ROI). Two approaches to
supporting extended reach with a single fiber, 1:32 split ratio PON are using a low loss cabling
system and low EDFA power, or using a high EDFA power and a conventional cabling system
having about 3 dB higher loss. Unless noted a transmitter with a 16 dBm SBS suppression rating
at 50 KM (18.5 dBm at 20 KM) is assumed. Other assumptions and results of this comparison are
shown below in table 4.
4

In EPON case the measurement increment was 2 dB. CNR degradation was seen at 21.2 dBm so the SBS
limit was somewhere between 19.2 and 21.2 dBm. For the BPON case the EDFA maximum was 20 dBm,
which limited the power transmitted into the ODN to 19 dBm.
Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

p. 10 of 11

Table 4 Cost of EDFA Power vs. Cabling System Loss

Low Loss Cabling System

Power from EDFA into WDM
19 dBm
to achieve 0.5 dB below SBS
(Low Power)
limit into outside plant fiber.
EDFA Milliwatts per PON
80 mW
Cost per milliwatt (high
$20/mW
volume purchase)
EDFA cost per PON
$1600
EDFA cost per home passed
$50
100% subscription rate
$50
50% subscription rate
$100
25% subscription rate
$200

Conventional Cabling System*

22 dBm
(High Power)
160 mW
$20/mW
$3200
$100
$100
$100
$400

* May require higher SBS suppression rating on transmitter, special high power fiber, or 1:4
splitter in CO and 1:8 splitter close to subscribers to manage SBS.

Conclusion
An analysis of the optical limitations of FTTP cabling systems along with systems testing has
produced optical system design strategies and tactics that minimize cost and maximize system
performance for triple play passive optical networks. The analysis has shown that supporting a 20
KM reach with 1:32 split ratio for BPON, GPON, and EPON networks providing triple play
services, with margin, is possible using a properly engineered and designed optical system. Such
a system meets this objective by minimizing optical path loss of the optical distribution network
(ODN), and using low cost and commercially available optical transceivers and transmission
systems. It is also shown that power budgets for analog video overlays at 1550 nm using standard,
commercially available transmission systems and zero water peak G.652D fibers enable 20 KM
single fiber support with a 1:32 split ratio. A low loss, low power analog video overlay is shown
to save up to $200 per subscriber compared to a high power system. Furthermore, a low loss
ODN across the full spectrum of wavelengths from 1260 nm to 1610 nm supports todays
applications and provides an economical upgrade path to future higher bandwidth applications.
References
i

Statistical Variables for Evaluating Compatibility of Remote Deployments , Telcordia

Technologies, pursuant to work supported by BellSouth, SBC, and Verizon, T1E1.4/2001
T1E1.4/2001-132, May 132, May 2001

ii

Optical System Design Considerations for FTTP Networks, John George, FTTH Conference
2003.

iii

Optical Impairments, Including Raman and Brillion Non-Linearities, in Broadband WDMOverlay single fiber PONs Measurements, remedies and design optimization guidelines,
George Buabbud, et al., NFOEC 2003 Technical Proceedings, 672 (2003).

Designing Passive Optical Networks for Cost Effective Triple Play Support
FTTH Conference 2004
John George
OFS

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