Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is looking to capitalise on the increased demand for reliable and high-speed broadband in SA.
Last week, the company introduced its Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) in the country, targeting local telcos and Internet service providers (ISPs).
The move comes after Huawei last month committed to increase investment in the South African market following a visit to China by African National Congress secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Huawei introduces the solution at a time when competition in SA's fibre front is heating up, with telcos and ISPs jostling for deployments.
GPON vs copper
Terrance Sema, access network solutions executive of Huawei's Carrier Business Group for the Eastern and Southern Africa region, says GPON is a passive optical network most commonly used in current fibre-to-the-home networks.
Telcos making use of GPON include US carrier Verizon, with the company's officials asserting GPON cuts floor space and electricity usage in office buildings by as much as 95% compared to traditional copper networks.
GPON makes use of fibre networks as opposed to copper in the transmission of information, Sema notes.
"This allows for further reach while also supporting the requirements for higher speeds. The passive optical network's one-to-multiple-point architecture means the optical splitter is able to split the optical power into separate paths reaching multiple users in one fibre over a longer distance," he explains.
According to Sema, a standard GPON fibre line can be split to support 128 users and can reach distances of up to 20km, connecting directly to residential households and office premises.
For example, he explains, a gated community only needs access to one end-point in order for the whole community to gain access to the Internet. "As such, GPON enables simpler and faster deployment of high-bandwidth to each home. Consumers will no longer struggle with the frustration and lead times of having ADSL installed."
He adds GPON has expanded network capability through its triple play system which offers voice (telephone), video (TV) and data (Internet access) all over one fibre. "Triple play essentially means customers can have convergence allowing them to use one service provider for the different services, thus lowering cost to consumer," says Sema.
"Traditional networks have limited bandwidth, even for a home user. Sharing bandwidth lowers speed and capacity; however, with GPON users can share up to 2.5Gbps, thus making it more practical."
Green network
He points out the GPON solution is energy-efficient as it does not rely on the use of electrically-powered switches unlike active optical networks.
"The network is more cost-effective as a single fibre can be split into multiple signals which means less fibre is required within the network and no physical switches are required."
Sema believes the biggest challenges facing the South African market are the lack of IT infrastructure and the slow reach of technology, not only in rural areas but also within businesses.
For example, he notes, the BYOD and big data trends have grown phenomenally as consumers integrate social media, cloud-based platforms and service-provision apps into their daily lives, creating a culture of mobility and innovative content space.
However, many businesses have yet to integrate similar platforms into business models that optimise business growth opportunities.
"Solutions such as GPON will be a perfect solution to answer these needs, as it brings about greater bandwidth as well as triple-play services direct to the consumer's premises - be it the home or the office," he concludes.
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