FTTH Basics and

Network Design
Mark Boxer, Jeff Bush
OFS
 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Network Architectures and Planning

2 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Bandwidth – then, now, and next

Then 25 Mbps Now

1.5 Mbps

≈ 0.6 kbps

Next

9 Mbps
VR > 2 Mbps
500 MBPS 6 Mbps

3 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Network Architectures and Planning

4 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Why Fiber?
Greater Bandwidth, Longer Distance,
Lowest Cost / Bit

Copper

Bandwidth Distance Cost per Bit

Fiber

2,400 Pair Copper 1 Fiber Cable

Cable > 50 Tbps
100 Gbps to 1KM > 5,000 KM
Bandwidth Distance Cost per Bit

5 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Why fiber?
Metal cables and wireless have significant
limitations

• Reliable - Fewer truck rolls with fiber

• Lower power consumption versus DSL/HFC Feature Benefit
High High information carrying
• Not affected by lightning, rain, humidity issues bandwidth capacity
• No maintenance needed for amplifiers Low Long distances without
attenuation repeaters, less expensive

Light weight Easier installations

Small size Unobtrusive
No metallic No grounding problems
conductors No “crosstalk”
No power requirements
Passive No circuit protection
needed
Widely deployable & cost
Inexpensive
effective

6 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Network Architectures and Planning

7 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Fiber Feeds the Cell Network

• Mobile bandwidth demand, driven by smartphones and video,

is growing rapidly
• Fiber is needed to and up the tower for 4G networks and
beyond
• Fiber has many advantages for cell network operators:

• Weight
• Tower loading/bracing
Bandwidth • Grounding
• Installation time
• Power losses
• Space
• Cooling requirements

8 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Fiber in Telephone and
Cable Networks
Telephone: FTTN - Fiber to the Curb/Node
Cable: HFC - Hybrid Fiber Coax

Central Office Powered Switch

OLT or Node Twisted Pair
or Coax
12 - 24 fibers

Typical Distance Range

• Fiber to the Node, Copper/coax to the home
• Bandwidth variable based on distance, metal cable quality, node size
• Asymmetric bandwidth (more downstream than upstream)

9 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Fiber Feeds the Power
Network

• Fiber is an integral part of the utility communications network

• Substation to substation communications
• Equipment within substations
• FTTH – Primarily municipalities and co-ops
• Smart grid initiatives are changing the nature of power delivery

Nuclear

Renewable

Transmission Distribution

Smart Meter
--:Information Micro Grid
--:Power

10 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Designing the OSP Network

11 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Optical Fiber
Fastest Comms Pipe Available

Coating
Light ray Cladding
Core

• Light travels in core and is constrained by the cladding

• Acrylate coating protects pure silica (glass) cladding

12 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Fiber Structure

125 microns

• Core - The center of a fiber

– Typically contains dopants to Coatings
change speed of light
• Cladding - Outer layer of glass Cladding
to contain light vv
vs Core
– Different refractive index 8-62.5
• Coating - Cushions and microns
protects fibers

200-250 microns
13 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush
 Main Fiber Types
Single-mode & Multimode

• Single-mode fiber Index of Refraction Profiles

– Carries only one mode of light
– Used for the majority of FTTH deployments
• Multimode fiber
– Carries multiple modes of light
8-10 µm

125 µm

Singlemode cladding core

50-62.5
µm

125 µm
Multimode

14 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Bend Insensitive Fiber
Enables Fiber in Non-traditional Places

Conventional Bend insensitive

Singlemode fiber Singlemode fiber

Small
Small
radius
radius

Service
Service
Disrupted
Maintained

15 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTH Network Macro View

Central Office / Drop Drop

Headend Closures or Cable
Terminals

Splitter
Cabinet

Underground Aerial
Cable Splice Direct Buried Cable
Closures Cable

16 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Outside Plant Fiber Cable

Buffer tube
• Most often “loose tube” cable structure
– Fibers loose in buffer tubes Fiber
• Handles stress/strain and temperature
fluctuations and climatic extremes
Loose buffer tube
– Also available in ribbons structure

– Fibers and buffers are color coded

• Underground applications Ribbon fiber and cable structure

– Direct Buried – typically armored

– Duct cable
• Aerial applications
– Lashed to a messenger
– All-Dielectric, Self-Supporting (ADSS)

17 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Inside Plant Fiber Cable

• Indoor cables are different than outdoor cables

• Most often “tight buffer” cable structure
– Provides additional protection for frequent
handling
– Easier connectorization
• Multiple types of cable structures
• Riser, plenum, low smoke/zero halogen products
– Designed to meet flame smoke ratings
• Yellow jacket indicates single-mode fiber

18 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Fiber Management Devices
Closures, Terminals

• Fiber management devices are used

in the central office or remote
cabinets
• Closures are used in the field to
connect cables and fibers
• Terminals are often used for the
final drop to the home
• Multiple designs available for each
component

19 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Connectors and splitters
Connectors
• “SC” and “LC” most common
• Color indicates polish (back reflection)
SC Connector • Blue = “Ultra” polish Splitter
• Green = “Angle” polish

Splitters
• Used with Passive Optical Network
Splitter in splice tray
LC Connector (PON) systems
• Used to split one fiber into multiple
fibers
– Decreases power
– Splits bandwidth
MPO Connector • Split ratios are powers of 2
(12 fiber ribbon
connector) – 1x2, to 1x64 (1x32 most common) Splitter Cabinet

20 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 MDU and in-home
Deployments

• MDU and in-home installations are

different than outside plant
• Most inside installations require tight
bends and bend insensitive fibers
• Manufacturers have developed fibers
and products for these applications

Fiber
21 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush
 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Network Architectures and Planning

22 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 OSP Cable Placement
Options

Aerial
• Fast, minimal restoration time
• Typical choice for overbuilding
existing aerial plant

Below Grade
• Required if no existing aerial
plant
• Aesthetically pleasing!

23 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Splicing

Fusion
• Most common type of splice
Illustration of electrodes used to
• Fibers joined together and melted at
form fusion splicing arc
approximately 1600 degrees C

Mechanical
• Common overseas
• Less common in US FTTH installations

Splice sleeve to cover

completed splice

24 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Optical Loss Budget

Designers must ensure adequate optical

power going both directions

Fiber Management

OLT

Unmanaged Switch Component Typical loss values

@ 1550 nm
Encoder & DVD Fiber 0.2 dB/km
Splices 0.05 dB
Connectors 0.2 dB
Splitters (1x32) 17-18 dB

25 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Agenda

• Drivers for FTTH

• Why Fiber?
• Fiber Feeds Everything
• Flavors of FTTx
• Nuts and Bolts - The Components
• Installation Techniques
• Network Architectures and Planning

26 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Network Planning

Establish Ultimate Network Plan

• Ensures incremental additions support
ultimate objectives

Network Plan Objectives

• Reduce installed costs
• Increase speed of network build
• Increase return on investment
o Target network segments based on ROI

• Streamline build cost estimation

process

Example Network Plan

Cable route design for 10k premise network

27 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

GPON GE-PON
Point to Point
Current Current (Active Ethernet)
Next Gen Next Gen
Gen Gen

Downstream 2.4 Gbps 10 Gbps 1.2 Gbps 10 Gbps 100 -1000 Mbps
Bandwidth total total total total per sub

1.2 Gbps 10 Gbps 1.2 Gbps 10 Gbps 100 -1000 Mbps

Upstream Bandwidth
total total total total per sub

Typical distance 20 km 20 km 20 km 20 km 20 km

Wavelengths (nm),
1490 1577 1550 1577 1550
Downstream
1310 1270 1310 1270 1310
Upstream

28 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

Active Ethernet (Active E)

or Point-to-point (P2P)
Dedicated
Central Office Fibers
or Powered Cabinet
SFU

Electronics
MDU

Business

• Requires largest cables and most splicing

• Highest cost of electronics per customer
• Maximum bandwidth per customer

29 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Central Office Splitting

Central Office Dedicated
or Powered Cabinet Fibers
SFU

OLT
F1 Fibers F2 Fibers
MDU

Splitter

Business
Shared
Fibers
• Requires largest cables and most splicing
• Maximizes OLT port utilization
• Utilized in dense urban deployments

30 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Cabinet Splitting

Central Office Dedicated
or Powered Cabinet Fibers
Splitter SFU
Cabinet
OLT
F1 Fibers F2 Fibers
MDU

Splitter

Shared Business
Fibers
• Closely resembles copper networks
o Cross connect cabinets
• Limits initial OLT utilization
• Most common method of deployment in U.S.

31 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Distributed Splitting

Central Office
or Powered Cabinet
Splice
Closures
Splitter Splitter
OLT
F1 Fibers F1 Fibers F1 Fibers

Shared Dedicated
Fibers Fibers

Business MDU SFU SFU

• Greatly reduces cable sizes and splicing

• Requires more OLT ports than CO or cabinet splitting
o Typical break-even take rate is 20-25%

32 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Cascaded Splitting

Shared “S2”
Central Office Fibers 2nd Splitter SFU
or Powered Cabinet
SFU
“S1”
OLT 1st Splitter
F1 Fibers F1 Fibers

Dedicated
Fibers

MDU
Splice Closure
Or Cabinet
Splice “S2” Business
Closure 2nd Splitter

• Minimizes cable sizes and splicing

• Ideal for rural deployments

33 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

Distributed / Cascaded Splitting

versus
CO / Cabinet Splitting
1. Significantly reduces cable sizes
2. Significantly reduces splicing requirements
Advantages
3. Eliminates need for splitter cabinets
• Associated permitting
1. 100% splitter installation
• Initial as opposed to incremental
Disadvantages
2. 100% OLT port installation
• Initial as opposed to incremental
Typical break-even take rate is 20-25%
• Greater than 25% - distributed / cascaded more economical
• Less than 20% - CO / cabinet more economical

34 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Summary

• Video, internet, and new applications are driving bandwidth increases that
require fiber
• Fiber is the best method for providing low cost, high bandwidth services
• Lowest cost/bit
• Lowest OPEX
• More reliable than metallic technologies
• Lower attenuation, weight
• Fiber architectures include multiple types of PON and point-to-point
• Multiple ways of deploying FTTH
• OSP design decisions have significant impacts on network build costs

35 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Thank you for
attending. Please
remember to
complete the online
evaluation of this
session in the mobile
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36 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Questions?

Mark Boxer
Applications Engineering Manager, OFS
mboxer@ofsoptics.com
252 495-4131

Jeff Bush
Professional Services Manager, OFS
jbush@ofsoptics.com
770 241-4713

Please Complete the Evaluation

37 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 Backup

Backup Slides

38 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

Active Ethernet (Active E)

or Point-to-point (P2P)

Central Office
or Powered Cabinet

Electronics
Factory Installed Splice Panel
Connector

Jumpers
OSP
Cable

Customers

39 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Central Office Splitting

Central Office
or Powered Cabinet

Optical Terminal Shelf Mount Splitter Splice Panel

Jumpers Jumpers
F1 Fibers F2 Fibers

OSP Cables
Factory Installed F2 Fibers
Connectors Customers

40 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Cabinet Splitting

Central Office
or Powered Cabinet Splitter Cabinet

OLT Splitters

Splitter Tails
Factory
Connectorized

Splice Panel

Cabinet Tails
OSP Cables Hand Hole

OSP Cables OSP Cables

Customers
F1 Fibers F2 Fibers

Splice Closure

41 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

PON - Distributed or Cascaded Splitting

Central Office
or Powered Cabinet

OLT Service Drop Splice

Connection Point Tray
Aka “terminal”

Splitter

Splice Panel

OSP Cables OSP Cables Customers

F1 Fibers F2 Fibers
Service
Drops Customers

42 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush

 FTTX Architectures

Design Comparison
Cabinet vs. Distributed Splitting

92%
62% 24 or 36
48 or larger count cables
count cables

50%
Cabinet Split Design Variance in Distributed Split Design
• 6,622 premises Splicing • 6,127 premises
• 9,933 fusion splices • 6,139 fusion splices
1.5 splices / premise 1.0 splices / premise

43 FTTH Basics and Network Design OFS – Boxer, Bush