Redes ópticas de acesso: uma análise comparativa entre EPON e SuperPON

Abstract

The demand for high transmission rates for Internet services has been increasing over time, resulting in a large flow of data. This project focuses on access networks, which provide quality intemet services to homes and small business. Optical fiber offers high transmission rates, both for upstream and downstream, capable of transporting several Gbps, depending on the network architecture and equipment used, such as the OLT (Optical Line Terminal). Passive optical networks are access networks that use interconnected optical fibers in a star topology and point-to-multipoint configuration, consisting only of passive optical components between the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and the Optical Network Unit (ONU). As a technological evolution strategy, they can be used to leverage the installed base of copper cables and coaxial cables in the access network, serving as feeder cables for technologies such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable modem, and Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS), and, in the future, to provide optical fiber to user premises. This project aims to show the difference between EPON and SuperPON technologies, both of which are passive network technologies, and to verify the cost-effectiveness of both. In this work, we explore the particularities of both technologies, considering the size of the network. We observe that EPON (Ethernet Passive Optical Network) stands out for its significantly lower cost compared to SuperPON when expanding the network to smaller areas. This is due to the lower need for expenses with CO (Central Office) and equipment. On the other hand, SuperPON presents a cost advantage when expanding to larger areas, as it requires less CO. Therefore, it becomes a more advantageous option compared to EPON in such network expansion scenarios. Another comparison we will address is the number of ONUs (Optical Network Unit) that we can obtain compared to EPON and SuperPON. In EPON, one fiber can support up to 64 ONUs in a network with a 1:8 splitter, resulting in 8 CTOs (Optical Termination Boxes). In a network with a 1:16 splitter, we can have 4 CTOs. On the other hand, in the SuperPON network, we can accommodate up to 1024 ONUS on a single fiber with a 1:8 splitter, resulting in 128 CTOs. With a 1:16 splitter, we can have 64 CTOs.