| Ethernet
Passive Optical Networks |
Ethernet
passive optical networks (EPON) are an emerging access network technology that
provides a low-cost method of deploying optical access lines between a carrier's
central office (CO) and a customer site. EPONs build on the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) standard G.983 for asynchronous transfer mode PONs (APON) and seek
to bring to life the dream of a full-services access network (FSAN) that delivers
converged data, video, and voice over a single optical access system.
The
communications industry is on the cusp of a revolution that will transform the
landscape. This revolution is characterized by three fundamental drivers. First,
deregulation has opened the local loop to competition, launching a whole new class
of carriers that are spending billions to build out their networks and develop
innovative new services. Second, the rapid decline in the cost of fiber optics
and Ethernet equipment is beginning to make them an attractive option in the access
network. Third, the Internet has spawned genuine demand for broadband services,
leading to unprecedented growth in Internet protocol (IP) data traffic and putting
pressure on carriers to upgrade their networks.
These drivers are, in turn,
promoting two new key market trends. First, deployment of fiber optics is extending
from the backbone to the wide-area network (WAN) and the metropolitan-area network
(MAN) and will soon penetrate into the local loop. Second, Ethernet is spreading
from the local-area network (LAN) to the MAN and the WAN as the uncontested standard.
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