LightCounting: The third-generation ODN is developing rapidly

LightCounting released a research report on optical distribution network (ODN), the organization said that the third generation of ODN is on the way.

LightCounting said that over the past decade, ODN has played a key role in the widespread application and deployment of passive optical networks, and development efforts at this stage have focused on reducing upfront costs rather than adding functionality. Now, the industry is promoting the introduction of more advanced technologies into the ODN to reduce operating costs and improve access network performance.

For more than 50 years, the "last mile" of telecom operators' access networks has consisted of twisted-pair copper cables, one for every household, bundled together in a tree-like and branch-like physical structure. Cable operators use coaxial sheathed metal cables in similar tree and branch structures. Early Internet services were provided through these now obsolete technologies.

From the early 2000s, PON deployments began in earnest to support "triple-play" service bundling, where faster internet speeds, lower latency and greater video bandwidth are key selling points. Unlike earlier access networks, the "last mile" of the PON network utilizes point-to-multipoint optical fibers, one or a pair of optical fibers starting from the optical line terminal (OLT) and terminating at a passive optical splitter somewhere in the external equipment , and then multiple optical fibers exit from the optical splitter and are connected to devices called Optical Network Terminals (ONT) or Optical Network Units (ONU) or near individual residences. The optical fibers and splitters connecting the OLT and its corresponding ONUs are called Optical Distribution Networks, or ODNs.

As FTTx has become a mature network architecture in the head CSP, people have finally started to pay attention to reducing operating costs through more precise and automated monitoring, which is possible in the third-generation ODN. LightCounting expects other suppliers to follow Huawei's example and develop light iris-like products to complement the product portfolio.