50G-PON: The First ITU-T Higher-Speed PON System

A suite of standards Recommendations has recently been developed in the ITU-T for a 50 Gb/s line rate passive optical network (PON) system. This 50G-PON system represents a significant leap in line rate from the 10 Gb/s systems being deployed today in fiber access applications. Achieving such a jump in performance necessitates an evolution in the underlying technologies. The 50G-PON system capitalizes on fundamental advances in the optical transceiver components working in conjunction with enhanced error correction and coding. It also introduces key innovations in activation procedures, contention-based operation, and expanded cryptographic features. With these improved capabilities, the 50G-PON system is ready to meet the new, and demanding, requirements of emerging services.