Progress in Development Broadband Networks: Wired Access - Technologies, Markets and Applications

Wired Broadband Access Technologies are Playing an Important Role in Today Networks - Cable Accounts For 55%-60% Of The U.S. Fixed Broadband Market

This report updates the status on wired broadband access technologies, their markets, applications, and industries.

Wired broadband access technologies are playing an important role in today networks- cable accounts for 55%-60% of the U.S. fixed broadband market. However, until recently, technical and economic problems with such access did not allow effective use of a broadband pipe from a core to a subscriber side, minimizing a value of broadband communications.

The problems have been known for a long time, but the absence of a cost-effective technology in the distribution plant prevented making any practical improvements. The specifics of access, such as the necessity to create a highly distributed infrastructure and the price to support access service always contradicted each other. The situation changed with appearance Passive Optical Networks (PONs), their various modifications and progress in architecting of high-speed DSL, such as vectoring DSL.

The goal of this report is to address current and near-term advances in wired broadband access networks that are transforming them into broadband pipes with characteristics similar to characteristics of the core networks. Particular, the report concentrates on the analysis of technologies and markets for the following access architectures:

• Passive Optical Networks - standardized or planning to be standardized by the IEEE and ITU-FSAN. Evolving PONs will allow transmission of up to 100 Gb/s (shared).
• New generations DSL - in the development and standardization by the ITU and the industry, including vectoring and G.fast. The technologies may support short reaches connectivity on the existing copper structures with speeds near 1 Gb/s (non-shared).
• RFoG - technology that allows efficient use of fiber combined with a short coaxial path to the user, allowing to reach gigabit per second speed and improving the economics of broadband access.

The report shows that the copper infrastructure continues to play an important role in connecting last hundreds of meters from/to a subscriber equipment with the rest of the network. Advanced gigabit speed access technologies, such as DSL (G.fast, VDSL2-vec), are key in creating a homogenous and cost-efficient core-access infrastructure. For example, in 2017, AT&T has begun rolling out G.fast-based services in 22 metro markets across the United States, signaling the service provider’s desire to extend higher speed wireline broadband services in premises where it can’t make a business case for all fiber.

PONs provide cost-efficient connectivity of the core with subscriber’s equipment, supporting required by users characteristics, such as speed of transmission and other. Currently, service providers have three major next-generation FSAN PON paths: 10G-PON, XGS-PON and NG-PON2. Verizon, for example, plans to move directly to NG-PON2.

The IEEE NG-EPON standard 802.3ca, which promises the 100 Gb/s speed, planned to be finalized by 2020.

The report also stresses an important trend in the broadband wired access: utilization of multi-functional platforms that allow flexibility and cost efficiency to serve a diversified group of users required different technologies.

The standardization processes are analyzed in details. Marketing statistics have been developed (2018-2022). The report also presents detailed surveys of companies that are working in the related industries and their products portfolios. Attachments contain the survey of recently approved patents related to the report subject.

The report is written for a wide audience of technical, managerial and sales staff involved in the development of wired broadband access networks.