The Broadband Forum has
revealed its working on a landmark project with NTT to standardize the
virtualization of operators’ Passive Optical Network (PON) to support the
delivery of Time Critical Applications (TCAs), such as 5G fronthaul,
reports ITRealms.
A passive optical network,
ITRealms gathered is a system that
brings optical fiber cabling and signals all or most of the way to the end
user.
The
project, which was initiated by Forum member NTT, one of the world’s
largest service providers, looks to open up new business opportunities for
operators and vendors by using network virtualization technologies such
as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software
Defined Networking (SDN) to cost-effectively upgrade their PON
networks to enable the rapid introduction of new services. This
includes the key issue of fronthaul for 5G services, adding to the
Forum’s ongoing work on the convergence of fixed and mobile networks.
“As
users’ usage changes, both in regard to the different services required and the
amount of data coursing through fiber networks, operators need to update their
PON networks, including by adding TCAs,” said Akihiro
Otaka, Executive Manager at NTT Access Network Service Systems
Laboratories. “This used to require the remake of PON equipment for each
service, but should be done via a software
upgrade in the near future to
improve cost-effectiveness. With demand for this increasing, it is
important we ensure there are standards in place
to achieve a vendor-agnostic system and ensure mass
deployment of this new system architecture, which is essential if we are to
deliver agile and flexible next-generationbroadband networks for
emerging services.”
The
project – PON Abstraction Interface for TCAs – looks at how SDN and NFV
can be applied to Optical Line Terminals to disaggregate
PON functions to functional modules with open interfaces. The first
phase will define the disaggregation
policy and functional requirements of interfaces to disaggregate
PON functions which need time-critical processing, while the second phase will
define the detailed specifications of the interfaces as Application
Programming Interface (API) sets.
The
project has already attracted a number of new members to the Forum, as the
industry becomes more focused on how the fixed network can help deliver 5G.
“Delivering
new services efficiently and cost-effectively is a priority for the whole
industry and this project will play a key role in realizing this objective,”
said Arief Mustain, Executive General Manager at Telkom
Indonesia, one of the new members involved in the project. “This is
particularly true as the industry moves towards 5G and standardization will
play a big part in making this new mobile technology a success.”
The
project was just part of the activity at the Broadband Forum’s quarterly
meeting taking place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“As
we work to meet the demand for new services, faster connectivity and more
bandwidth, our focus is shifting from the fixed network to a holistic broadband
network,” said Robin Mersh, CEO of Broadband Forum. “We know fiber will play a
huge role in the delivery of 5G and this project looks to define that role
and make it possible for operators to offer fronthaul services, among
others, via their PON networks. This makes the work important not just for the
broadband industry but the telecoms market as a whole and it can only be
achieved on a wide scale through collaboration and standardization.”
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