Ultra BroadbandEthernetSolution Brief

Smart Solutions for a Connected World.

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Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) is a successful solution for addressing (or reaching) as much as fifty percent of the homes in some networks; but the cost of ubiquitous deployment has become an insurmountable challenge in many high-cost areas. This is delaying many service providers from reaching their broadband penetration goals and the associated socioeco-nomic benefits. Alternative architectures and solutions that can deliver ultra high-speed broadband services much more quickly and cost–effectively are needed.

ADTRAN® has been working with Tier 1 operators across the globe on a new network architecture, called Ultra Broadband Ethernet (UBE), to bridge the deep fiber broadband gap accelerating broadband penetration. This new Ethernet-based class of solutions initially delivers a 100 Mbps symmetrical broadband service with ultra-low power (a.k.a. green technol-ogy) and ultra-low latency, resulting in unmatched performance for new and existing applications such as user generated content, subscriber video conferencing, and high-performance gaming.

UBE can be deployed at industry breakthrough low Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditures (OPEX), with ultra-quick deployment. UBE doesn’t require network power and can be deployed and installed virtually anywhere—telephone poles, underground, in man holes, or in the basement of multi-dwelling units. Furthermore, the architecture enables operators to leverage existing fiber architectures such as GPON, Gigabit Ethernet, and XGPON1 or NGPON.

ADTRAN, since announcing this proposed network architecture, has participated in over twenty customer trials in four continents learning how best to leverage UBE and streamline deployment models. Key applications such as delivering broadband effectively to Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) have come to the forefront. Also a new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) project, called G.fast has been spawned following on the UBE strategy. This G.fast standard is expected to be approved in mid-2013 with commercial deployment projected in 2014.

ADTRAN UBE is currently proving how it can aid operators in meeting their mandated broad-band penetration and sustainability goals.

Operators around the world are seeking a way to deploy ultra-high bandwidth solutions throughout their networks to achieve national objectives, global broadband competitiveness, and to enable new and exciting applications and services.

Executive Summary

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“Communications Service Providers around the globe must find a cost-effective means to compete with MSOs and cable companies in the delivery of high-speed (100 Mbps and greater) services,” said David Emberley, research manager, IDC. “ADTRAN’s Ultra Broadband Ethernet approach offers an alternative to traditional access infrastructure designs that lowers the CSP’s OPEX and CAPEX to deliver advanced services, while accelerating revenue and increasing Average Revenue per Unit (ARPU).”

The Global Goal: Ubiquitous 100 Mbps Service

“Broadband is the next tipping point, the next truly transformational technology,” declares ITU Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadoun Touré. “It can generate jobs, drive growth and productivity, and underpin long-term economic competitiveness. It is also the most powerful tool we have at our disposal in our race to meet the Millennium Development Goals.” Broadband availability is of such importance, the United Nations (UN) has identified broadband as a crucial

element of the 2015 Millennium goals, with 100 Mbps as the recommended target.

Countries such as the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, and many others have National Broadband Plans that call for 100 Mbps to a large majority of households by no later than 2020 (and some target 2015). They have realized that broadband is a key element to the prosperity and health of their nations and have set some very

aggressive goals for their nations and telecom operators.

Driven by a desire for advanced services and a better overall experi-ence, consumers are demanding more speed—and they are voting with their wallets. Competition is heating up for super fast Internet, with cable operators like Comcast (U.S.) and Virgin Media (UK) already rolling out 100 Mbps over their Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC) network.

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In addition, there are labor and material costs associated with the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) unit on the side of the house. Furthermore, a technician must schedule a house visit to connect the ONT on the side of the house to the home network, turn up the service, and test it. The in-home installation often takes at least half a day and often more since running cable through an existing home can be unpredictable. This is expensive, disruptive to the customer, and ultimately adds another element of delay. Indoor ONTs can improve this experience somewhat but still require an expensive and time-consuming professional installation to extend fiber inside the home.

Many operators around the world are deploying FTTH but it is a slow and expensive process and many of them don’t plan on reaching more than 30 to 50 percent of their potential subscriber base. For example, Verizon launched the FiOS FTTH initiative in 2004 and now has reached close to 50 percent of customers in their 16-state territory. BT started rolling out FTTH in 2010 and 1.5 M homes have been reached so far, with a plan to reach 40 percent of homes by 2012.

FTTH is a great technology but, if it cannot economically reach more than 30 to 50 percent of potential customers in a reasonable amount of time, it is clear that a complementary next- generation solution is desperately required. This is especially true in light of the fact that cable operators are rolling out 100 Mbps service right now by leveraging high-bandwidth DOCSIS 3.0 and their existing Hybrid Fiber/Coax plant. Time is of the essence.

Wireline carriers are fighting back with deep fiber deployments like Fiber-To-The-Home. FTTH is a great technology but faces

deployment challenges if the fiber has to be buried in roads, sidewalks, and driveways. It can be extremely expensive and time consuming.

Fiber to the Rescue

FTTH is a great technology but it cannot economically

reach more than 30 to 50 percent of potential customers in a reasonable amount of time.

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Ultra Broadband Ethernet delivers breakthrough economics that enables widespread availability of ultra-high bandwidth services to nearly every subscriber.

Ultra Broadband Ethernet

ADTRAN has been working with several Tier 1 carriers to develop an ultra-high performance FTTH alternative that can be deployed across the globe. The lofty but critical goals of the new product category are:

n Fast Downstream: Minimum 100Mbps per subscriber and scalable to 1 Gbps

l Supports very fast downloads (ex: a complete album in five seconds) and new services.

n Fast Upstream: Minimum 100 Mbps per subscriber and scalable to 1 Gbps

l Supports very fast upload of photos, videos and other user generated content (e.g. 1/3 seconds for a 4 Mbyte photo) and new services, like HD video conferencing

n Ultra low CAPEX and OPEX

n Very fast to deploy: hours, not months

n No need to bury fiber in roads, sidewalks and driveways to reach a home

n No need for network power

n Easy install at customer premise

n Flexible: l Install anywhere (man hole, tele-

phone pole, multi-dwelling unit)

l Compatible with GbE, GPON and NGPON architectures

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FTTH is a great technology which is successfully delivering super-fast broadband and premium services. However,

the cost and delays associated with burying fiber, install-ing the ONT, and turning up the service in a home can be overwhelming and prohibitively expensive. UBE is a

breakthrough alternative solution to addressing high-cost areas where the business case for FTTH doesn’t work. UBE enables operators to deliver ultra-fast Internet quickly and economically, and it enables new and exciting applications

which require ultra low latency and ultra-high upstream and/or symmetric bandwidth. UBE not only allows

operators to compete effectively against the onslaught of competitive 100 Mbps services from cable companies,

but it can help operators reach mandated broadband penetration targets and corporate sustainability goals.

The Conclusion

n Small port granularity

n Ultra Green (very low power)

n Ultra-low Latency: To enable high performance for latency-sensitive applications such as video conferencing and gaming

The first step was to throw out all assumptions, while leveraging ADTRAN’s deep experience and leadership in the access space. One of the critical questions we asked was this: “If bringing fiber to the ONT is such a challenge in certain scenarios, could we bring the ONT to the fiber instead?” This was the question which led to the new architecture called “Ultra Broadband Ethernet.”

UBE leverages a location in the network called the Distribution Point (DP) or Subscriber Drop pedestal. It is the location in the network where existing subscriber drops fan out to individual homes. The DP is usually a maximum of 200 yards away from the eight to 16 homes it serves, though it is often much closer. Placing a multi-port UBE ONT at this location and feeding it with fiber allows operators to deliver fast Ethernet over the existing subscriber drops. This avoids the cost and delay associated with burying fiber into roads, sidewalks, and driveways for each individual home without sacrificing performance. It also saves the cost and time associated with installing individual ONTs and the long in-home installation procedure.

A simple Media Adapter is used in the home to deliver a standard Ethernet interface to a computer or residential gateway. The Media Adapter also delivers power to the Ultra Broadband Ethernet ONT using a low DC voltage and completely avoids the need to deliver power from the network!

This new architecture offers a wealth of benefits including reduction of ONTs,

reduction of fiber trenching, reduced truck rolls, reduced deployment costs,

efficient powering scheme, and an ability to turn up services in days, compared to weeks or months.

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