1. FTTx Access in North American MSO Networks
Joint ITU/IEEE Workshop on Ethernet - Emerging Applications and Technologies (Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September2012)
FTTx Access in North American MSO Networks
Edwin J. Mallette
Distinguished Engineer
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

2. North American MSO Broadband: A Brief History
North American Multiple System Operators changed the face of broadband in 1997 with DOCSISTM version 1.0 specifications (ITU-T J.122 Annex B (1998)) and the introduction of the cable-modem.
Fast forward to 2008 when North American Cable Operators began deploying DOCSIS3.0 (ITU-T J.222) to increase access speed over coax to satisfy consumers voracious appetites for IP bandwidth.
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

3. North American MSO Broadband: Market
In 2012, ~90 million homes, or about 70% of all homes in North America, are passed by DOCSIS3.0.
Some North American MSOs are offering tiers >100mbps down with DOCSIS3.0.
Millions
Year-to-Year Growth Numbers
Source: Heavy Reading
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

4. North American MSO: xPON History (1)
DOCSIS and coax isn’t the only protocol and medium North American MSOs have been deploying.
Some North American MSOs have been implementing PON technologies for over a decade (as early as ~2001.)
The early MSO uses of xPON was largely for commercial / dedicated access last mile.
The set of applications are rather broad – generally xPON was used to provide data rate performance >>> DOCSIS.
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

5. North American MSO: xPON History (2)
The very early deployments were of the BPON variety.
Some MSOs stepped up to GPON while others shifted over to EPON.
While the EPON versus GPON debate is a favorite topic among many the rationale that drove MSO decisions were largely requirements based.
Capital costs was a large component in the decision after requirements like native POTS/TDM line support.
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

6. North American MSO: Market
There are at least 10 North American MSOs deploying and/or trialing xPON technologies today.
Some are in the midst of both long-term deployments and next generation PON technology trials.
Today there are tens of thousands1 of NA MSO customer locations served with xPON technology.
Most customers served with xPON are business locales.
This is still a growth market when considering North Americans MSOs serve -
Hundreds of thousands of commercial customer locations
Tens of millions of residential subscribers
1Reference: RVA LLC’s First Quarter North American FTTH Deployment Update.
URL:

7. Commercial xPON Applications
Below is a sample of a few common applications used with xPON.
MEF Services Last Mile
Internet Access + Business Voice/SIP
Mobile Backhaul (T-1+Ethernet)
L3VPN / Managed Routing
WiFi / Hotspot Aggregation
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

8. North American MSO: Residential Market
Some North American MSOs are deploying residential services with EPON.
In a few words this market is small but growing.
These trial/targeted deployments are (typically) green field builds.
DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoETM) specifications help MSO deployments operationally.
Several MSOs are using their existing DOCSIS back office systems to provision services over EPON in the first mile.
Today:

9. Where are MSOs headed next ?
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012

10. The MSO Future is Fiber Deep
The cost to overbuild existing coaxial operations is significant.
MSOs have a desire to leverage the investment in existing fixed assets as long as possible.
Nonetheless with current DOCSIS3.0 technology many MSOs are pushing fiber closer to the home.
Operators expect to continue pushing fiber deeper with both (future) DOCSIS3.1 and/or EPoC.
This is in answer to meet the continuing growth of IP bandwidth consumption.
And there’s little doubt that bandwidth consumption worldwide will continue to climb2.
2Reference: IEEE 802.3TM Industry Connections Ethernet Bandwidth Assessment.
URL:

11. The MSO Future is Fiber Deep for Higher Speed Access
Build
Strategy
Multiple Tech Choices
Higher Speed
Access
Fiber Deep
Coax First Mile
DOCSIS3.1
5/1Gig
Serving Group
EPON+DPoE
+EPoC
Fiber First Mile
10/10Gig

12. Closing Remarks
FTTx is in wide use by the North American MSOs, even for traditional services.
With continued evolution in the access space (DOCSIS3.1, EPoC) and the drive to higher access speeds the x point in FTTx (pole, curb, etc) will get marched closer to the home.
FTTH (via EPON) is expected to increase though it is expected to be opportunistic.
Geneva, Switzerland, 22 September 2012