A nation-wide optimization study on the consolidation of local exchanges using long-reach passive optical networks

The EU research project Discus defines a future proof end-to-end network architecture for next-generation communication networks. One central decision is at which and at how many Local Exchange (LE) locations the active equipment has to be placed. The key drivers here are threefold: as hard constraint, technical requirements must be satisfied, while as softer constraints, reliability and cost-efficiency should be as high as possible. In this paper we present an optimization study on a set of parameters that influence the number of selected locations for active equipment. In particular we compute the number of active nodes that is actually necessary to connect all customers. Moreover, for this study we compute a realistic reference network that contains the Local Exchange (LE) locations of Italy provided by Telecom Italia.