Passive Optical Networks

Chapter 2

PON Architectures Review

Cedric F. Lam

OpVista Inc.

2.1 FTTx OVERVIEW

The general structure of a modern telecommunication network consists of

three main portions: backbone (or core) network, metro/regional network, and

access network (Fig. 2.1).

On a very high level, core backbone networks are used for long-distance trans-

port and metro/regional networks are responsible for traffic grooming and multi-

plexing functions. Structures of backbone and metro networks are usually more

uniform than access networks and their costs are shared among large numbers of

users. These networks are built with state-of-the-art fiber optics and wavelength

division ...