Broadbandloop: a full-service access network for residential and small business users

There is a worldwide effort to define a full-service access network. The Broadbandloop project was formed by a European consortium funded by the European Union with the objective of defining a strategy for evolution from a narrowband voice and data network to a broadband network. The project is defining a system concept based on new innovative PON technology, which enables fiber to cost effectively penetrate close to the customer, and VDSL technology for transmission over twisted copper pairs. The system concept is validated in field trials in Denmark, Portugal, and Poland. The article describes the different requirements for a full-service access network, the system concept, and technologies developed. Results from modeling of broadband traffic and the corresponding bandwidth are given. The cost effectiveness of using new optical fiber vs. reusing existing telephone copper plant has been evaluated, and results from these studies are presented.