The transition to ethernet-based transport [Special section introduction]

Ethernet transport is to simply extend the success of passive optical network (PON) architectures at the subscriber edge deeper into the network. PONs, while still shared, are no longer confined to low bandwidths. Ethernet PONs in particular are due to transition from 1GE to 10GE soon, a substantial jump in bandwidth. However, this increase must be done in many cases over 1G networks that have already been installed. The peaceful coexistence of 1GE and 10GE PON traffic simultaneously in a network requires a robust discovery protocol.