Fiber Access - FTTH, FTTB, FTTN and FTTC Monitoring

The convergence of services delivered as IP, combined with the commoditization of connectivity driven by competition, is driving service providers to massively re-architect their businesses, dramatically impacting networks, operations, and customer service. Virtually all infrastructures will use fiber somewhere in the access delivery chain, regardless of whether the last mile is IP-over-fiber or IP-over-wireless. Yet until now, fiber was no more manageable than the wire of yesterday’s voice networks. The sheer volume of fiber being deployed in the outside plant will deluge network operations and strain customer service unless something is done to make it more manageable.

Intelligent fiber optic cross-connection systems will be an essential new component of the Service Provider infrastructure. They will master the fiber deluge by providing the critical software-controlled fiber management functions required to add intelligence to the fiber network, thereby enabling remote network operations and control and supporting new levels of customer service.  And in a breakthrough only available from CALIENT Technologies, they will cost no more than today’s static patch panel solutions. 

The DiamondWave FiberConnect Fiber Optic Cross-Connection System combines the ease-of-use of static fiber distribution frames and patch cords with the automation and intelligent record keeping of an optical switch.

Fiber Optic Cross-Connection Systems enable many operational and cost improvements:

• Instantaneous re-configuration of fiber paths
• Construction certification and baseline performance records
• Real-time inventory by means of automated fiber path records management
• Remote site operation by means of software control
• Remote alarm and optical power monitoring
• Troubleshooting via shared test gear connected to switches
• PON grooming associated with customer churn or technology migration
• Automated 1+1 or 1:n protection or restoration
• Instantaneous fiber re-configurations to enable fail-over, switch-over and back-out procedures associated with network upgrades

Strategic incorporation of FOCS concepts into a fiber termination and management model can significantly improve operational efficiencies in several areas. Automated fiber management is especially attractive in applications where fiber reconfiguration demands are high, such as carriers rolling out fiber access initiatives and/or managing remote nodes and/or lights-out operations. Competition in local service, especially with open access networks, may impact subscriber churn, requiring more aggressive service management, shorter service delivery intervals and the introduction of new capabilities. FOCS can be highly useful for all of these requirements.

As an increasing number of carriers experience the benefits of FOCS in improving fiber management operations, it will become part of the standard infrastructure to provide monitoring, management and reconfiguration functions. Carriers will not only achieve immediate operational benefits, but will also enjoy longer-term advantages in offering enhanced service assurance and differentiated services needed for security and monitoring.

DiamondWave® FiberConnect Revolutionizes Troubleshooting in FTTH, FTTB, FTTN and FTTC Networks

Introduction
Optical fiber is being deployed at an ever-increasing rate by wireline and wireless communications service providers, multi-service operators, and municipalities.  Just as the Digital Access Cross-Connection System (DACS) revolutionized installation and maintenance of copper lines, the Fiber Optic Cross-Connection System (FOCS) will revolutionize the way fiber is installed and managed.  A FOCS enables network operators to keep up with the runaway pace of fiber deployment and make fiber networks more profitable.

A FOCS is the dynamic, software-controlled equivalent of a manual fiber distribution frame or fiber patch panel.  The CALIENT Technologies DiamondWave® FiberConnect FOCS streamlines fiber management, enables remote troubleshooting, and enables rapid deployment of new fiber services.  CALIENT’s recent technological and manufacturing breakthroughs now make dynamic fiber management with the FiberConnect inexpensive and reliable. 

Read on to learn how the FiberConnect is revolutionizing outside plant troubleshooting in fiber-to-the-home, -business, -node and -curb networks. 

Challenge
Troubleshooting in fiber-to-the-home, -business, -node and -curb networks is uniquely challenging.  These networks involve many fiber-miles per central office, over routes that are often intricate.  Buried fiber is at constant risk of damage from street maintenance, home gardening and home maintenance.  FTTx networks use consumer-class equipment at the customer premise, and this equipment is often accessible to the customer.  As a result, service providers are experiencing frequent failures in these networks.  The present mode of operation is to dispatch one or often two trucks to hunt for the fault.  This requires the service provider to have a large amount of fault-finding test equipment in the field.  Capital and operations costs are high, and service quality is low. 

Solution
CALIENT Technologies’ DiamondWave FiberConnect changes all of this.  With FiberConnect, FTTx service uptime increases, and troubleshooting capital and operations costs decrease.  First, if an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) fails, the FiberConnect detects loss of OLT transmitted light within milliseconds.  If the service provider elects to do so, the FiberConnect switches automatically to a pre-assigned standby OLT.  Service is restored without a truck roll, in no more than the time it takes to program to standby OLT.

When a fault is reported, and the OLT cannot communicate with the Optical Network Unit (ONU), the FiberConnect enables staff at the Network Operation Center (NOC) to remotely connect a third-party Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) at the Central Office (CO) to the relevant fiber.  Remote access to the OTDR enables a dispatcher to locate the fault without leaving the NOC.  The dispatcher then sends the right people to the right place with the right tools.  Capital cost is reduced because a large number of OTDRs and optical loss test sets in service trucks are replaced by a much smaller number of remotely-operated instruments in the CO.  Service is restored quickly, at minimum operations cost.  Finally, since the fault has been characterized and isolated, the truck rolls that do need to occur are much more targeted and efficient, dramatically lower Operational Expenses.

The Numbers: FTTx Troubleshooting Savings with FiberConnect
Simple analysis, validated by major US service providers, shows that the FiberConnect delivers significant reductions in FTTx troubleshooting cost.  Without FiberConnect, a typical CO, serving 2500 homes with FTTH, has $200k in troubleshooting test equipment: 20 OTDRs and optical loss test sets, each worth $10k.  This equipment is located in the dispatch trucks dedicated to the homes served by the CO.  With FiberConnect, the service faults are located and fixed with a single OTDR and a single loss test set, both located at the CO and operated remotely from the NOC.  $180k in capital cost is saved. 

Typically, 10% of the CO’s customers will report a fault each year.  Without FiberConnect, 50% of these faults will require a dispatch into the field (3 person-hours), and 50% will require 2 person-hours’ labor at the CO.  The remote troubleshooting capabilities of the FiberConnect reduce these proportions to 20% of faults requiring field dispatch and 10% requiring CO labor.  At a typical burdened labor rate of $85 per hour, FiberConnect delivers $36k in FTTx troubleshooting operations cost savings per year. 

This analysis does not consider the additional cost savings resulting from extending the lifetime of the test equipment by moving it from dispatch trucks to the central office.  Increased service uptime represents a significant competitive advantage, which will lead to increased market share and increased revenue, which makes the business case for the FiberConnect even more compelling. 

Conclusion:
Just as the Digital Access Cross-Connection System (DACS) revolutionized installation and maintenance of copper lines, the Fiber Optic Cross-Connection System (FOCS) is revolutionizing the way fiber is installed and managed.  CALIENT’s DiamondWave FiberConnect FOCS reduces the capital cost of test equipment for FTTx troubleshooting, reduces the operations cost of service dispatches, and increases service uptime.  Contact CALIENT now for more details about FTTx monitoring, including:

• FTTH Monitoring
• FTTB Monitoring
• FTTN Monitoring
• FTTC Monitoring