Network planning for dual residential- business exploitation of next-generation passive optical networks to provide symmetrical 1 Gb/s services

Demand for high-speed access for business and residential subscribers has grown rapidly in recent years; thus, service providers need to offer cost-effective solutions to cover this demand. Convergence within the same infrastructure for clients requiring different service levels may have benefits in terms of cost, but their respective service-level specifications need to be guaranteed. This article compares different flavors of next-generation passive optical networks (PONs), namely, gigabit PON (GPON), 10-gigabit PON (XG-PON), time and wavelength division multiplexing PON (TWDM-PON), and wavelength division multiplexing PON (WDM-PON), and evaluates which one can provide 1 Gb/s symmetrical service at the more affordable cost when there is a mix of residential and business subscribers. Results show that the recommended technology depends on the percentage of business subscribers in the scenario.