Verizon begins lab testing NG-PON2 technology

Ericsson/Calix and ADTRAN selected for technology trial

New York, 07.20.2016: As Verizon advances toward implementing new technology on its fiber optic infrastructure, the company has reached a critical juncture in its RFP (Request For Proposals) process by tapping two companies to begin testing NG-PON2 (next generation passive optical network) equipment in Verizon’s Innovation Lab in Waltham, Mass.

Starting this month, Verizon will begin initial testing with equipment from Ericsson (in partnership with Calix) and ADTRAN. Testing will focus on several features of NG-PON2, including tuning performance, ability to carry residential and business services on the same platform, and interoperability and conformance testing to meet Verizon ONT specifications.

“When it comes to NG-PON2, ADTRAN and Ericsson/Calix have developed new designs and some novel, yet different, approaches that put them at the forefront of the industry,” said Vincent O’Byrne, Ph.D., director of network planning for Verizon.

Verizon is assessing this next-generation technology to provide increased speeds and functionality to customers on its Fios network. NG-PON2 technology supports up to 40G of total capacity and up to 10G speeds per customer, both upstream and downstream, over a single fiber – a tenfold increase over some of the current speeds in the industry. Using NG-PON2 technology, the company plans to initially deploy a number of business services in 2017, followed by residential services as the technology matures and the market demands.

This technology allows Verizon to easily increase system capacity by adding wavelengths to meet the demand for traffic drivers such as ultra high definition video, virtual reality applications and cloud services. By implementing this advanced technology without having to change the current underlying fiber optic infrastructure, additional traffic can be carried cost effectively. Verizon also can improve flexibility and resiliency using NG-PON2, because traffic can be shifted amongst multiple wavelengths without impacting customers.

Last year the ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standardization Sector) approved NG-PON2 specifications, paving the way to establish NG-PON2 as the next step in PON technology.

In 2015, Verizon announced it had successfully completed field testing of NG-PON2 technology.