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Tackling the challenges of next-generation fibre deployments

Fibre may be seen as the future of broadband, but there remain many difficulties in building such fibre-to-anywhere networks.


Johannesburg, 13 Mar 2018
Hassan Dayfallah, technical director, MEA, Viavi.
Hassan Dayfallah, technical director, MEA, Viavi.

In a digitally transforming world, the only effective way to benefit from new technologies like the Internet of things (IOT), 4K video streaming and next-generation wireless is by having the right network backbone in place. Passive optical networks (PONs) are increasingly viewed as a crucial element of current and future broadband access networks.

The massive deployment of these next-generation fibre networks is being driven by increasing high-speed Internet traffic from both the upstream and downstream perspectives, thanks to growing demand for services such as online gaming, file sharing and cloud computing.

In fact, says Hassan Dayfallah, technical director, MEA at Viavi - represented in South Africa by Concilium Technologies - fibre is already virtually everywhere. Any place were there is a requirement for connectivity today, fibre can be found enabling higher speeds, to the point that even many passenger aircraft today use fibre to connect their internal passenger entertainment systems.

"Moreover, the demand for ever-higher capacity fibre cables continues to rise as well. So where we had a 10Gb connection yesterday, today people are seeking 100Gb, and the increasing demand for capacity will soon see demand for 200Gb, 400Gb and even potentially as high as 1Tb. It is for this reason that the next-generation PON is fast becoming a reality," states Dayfallah.

"The call for higher capacity fibre is, in turn, driving a need for improved standards of implementation. While the need for clear installation standards is lower at present, as capacity increases, so does the potential for serious problems. After all, something that may only be a minor issue at 1Gbps will be 40 times as serious at 40Gbps."

For this reason, he adds, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure best practices are followed in regard to fibre implementations. Bearing in mind that there are insufficient fibre experts available for a realistic fibre to the wherever (FTTx) roll-out, best practices will assist in ensuring the most effective fibre roll-outs.

"Remember that often, fibre has to be installed in harsh environments, such as dirty cellars or near water or gas mains. Therefore, it is vital fibre can be installed easily and be robust enough to handle such conditions."

This means cables with reduced bend sensitivity or pre-assembled , but it also entails ensuring workflow efficiency, which is also crucial to achieving fast and profitable deployments. Such efficiency in turn depends upon having test instruments that are effective and easy to use, without requiring installers to have special training.

"They say 'the tools maketh the man' and this has never been more true than in the situation we find ourselves in, where there are not enough qualified technicians to enable a mass FTTx rollout. We have reached the point where we cannot rely on the technician alone - so the tools he uses will need to be improved and upgraded.

"The challenge lies in tools that deliver field efficiency; in other words, tools that are adapted to be simple enough for virtually anyone to use, but still technical enough to deliver the required insights. After all, a network installed today must also be capable of being adapted to meet the predicted exponential growth of capacity in the near future.

"Fibre management is therefore critical. However, today it is not common to find anyone who is a specialist in only a single narrow field of expertise. The speed at which networks and technologies are developing means that modern technicians are forced to be broader in terms of their fibre knowledge, and capable of doing many more things, if slightly less well.

"It is for this reason that the tools for testing next-generation FTTx networks are the foundation on which their success will be built. Simple, robust and intelligent tools that can ensure consistent, basic testing during construction, installation and deployment of a network will be the cornerstone of fibre's future," he concludes.

Sponsored Content

Hassan Dayfallah, technical director, MEA at Viavi, was in South Africa in February, as the guest of Concilium Technologies. He hosted an OTDR workshop aimed at key players in the local fibre industry and focused on OTDR best practices for FTTx, data centre and structured cabling applications.

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