Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lightwave Special Report PDF
Lightwave Special Report PDF
Evolving Metro/
Access Networks
The demands placed on metro and access
networks have created new requirements
that must be accommodated. These
articles will help network planners create
a winning strategy that will keep their
networks ahead of the game.
sponsored by:
2
Monitoring fiber
access links 9 Choosing an optimal
FTTH architecture 15 Optimizing and
monetizing data center
metro networks
Reprinted with revisions to format from Lightwave. Copyright 2014 by PennWell Corporation
Originally published July 1, 2014
By ULRICH KOHN
A
ccess has long loomed as optical fiber’s last, great, unconquered
frontier. But it’s now clear that fiber’s role in access networks in
multiple parts of the world is growing rapidly more pervasive every
day. Long undersubscribed, optical access infrastructure is today in
prime demand.
As reliance on fiber for access to radio towers and customer locations has
intensified, service interruptions associated with optical access have become
more consequential and costly. In turn, the pressure to protect access fiber and
the highly valued services traversing it has begun
to climb. Access link monitoring (ALM) is a timely
new concept for the task, and it figures to pave
the way for even wider-scale adoption of optics in
the access in ways that meet stringent cost and
scalability requirements.
That leaves massively scalable and reliable fiber; as a result, network operators
have rolled out optical fiber to an ever-increasing share of network endpoints.
Residential users enjoy the ability to download high definition movies in
less than a minute and full TV shows or dozens of songs in mere seconds.
Businesses value the ability to back up their mission-critical data to the cloud
and across multiple locations and use video conferencing more extensively.
Many business managers now also wonder what new business models and
innovations might be unlocked by wider-scale access at significantly higher
speeds. Furthermore, fiber installation frequently has become part of the
infrastructure projects of utilities and municipalities as well.
Google, for example, appears that it might have designs on evolving into a
full-blown telecommunications operator in the United States – or at least in
bringing fiber-based services for broadband access to enough U.S. markets
that other network operators feel the competitive pressure to introduce cost-
effective, higher-speed access to more Internet users, too. AT&T, meanwhile, has
announced a major initiative to expand its ultra-fast fiber network to up to 100
candidate cities and municipalities across the United States.
In the United Kingdom, BT has said that its open fiber network now passes about
two-thirds of the homes and businesses in the country, lending credence that the
government’s goal of ensuring high-speed (or “superfast”) access to 95% of the
U.K. by the year 2017 can be achieved.
3
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE
Monitoring fiber access links
On a variety of fronts, signs indicate an intensifying trend toward more and more
sites worldwide becoming connected via optical fiber.
One example is the mobile operator that seeks the cost advantages of a centralized
radio access network (C-RAN) architecture. In a C-RAN deployment, centrally pooled
baseband units are connected to lightweight, simplistic remote radio head technology
at the antenna site, so complicated processing is more cost-effectively concentrated
within the network. Common public radio interfaces (CPRIs) are applied to connect
the pooling site and antenna site. The CPRI interface and the digitized analog radio
signal that goes across it are both delay and jitter sensitive – and therefore best
transported over transparent wavelengths or direct fiber connections. Hence, the
mobile operator is interested in leasing dark fiber from a fiber provider.
4
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE
Monitoring fiber access links
No matter how many customer services are multiplexed across the network,
service providers can use ALM to maintain a steady assessment of the health
of their optical access infrastructures. The impact for service providers is
meaningful: faster repair cycles with no interference to other customers’ traffic,
which translates into improved service quality and, hence, higher revenue from
their dark fiber offering.
quipment (CPE) or far end. A low cost OTDR with passive, transparent optical
e
demarcation enables ALM to monitor multiple in-service fibers.
This monitoring of the fiber enables early recognition of the fiber stress that
affects fiber attenuation and frequently leads to fiber breaks. Service providers
can thus initiate preemptive counteraction before services are disrupted (see
Figure 1).
Just in time
ALM provides an efficient, unobtrusive approach that allows network operators
to create more value from their fiber assets. Completely independent from the
applications running over the fiber – which might be 100G Ethernet traffic,
special interfaces for interconnecting data centers, or even analog optical cable
CPE CO
device device
Probe Access Probe x1
reflect fiber link in/out Distance
7
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE
Optical Time Domain Reflectometers MT9090A
Since 1895
split completely from end-to-end on high resolution, color 4.3-inch wide screen display.
Now standard with Fiber Visualizer, our one-button fault locate function, will make your life
easier by automatically selecting test parameters and providing a summary within seconds.
1-800-ANRITSU
www.anritsu.com
© 2014 Anritsu Company
Choosing an optimal
FTTH architecture
By ERIK GRONVALL
F
iber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment is increasing globally, led
by the Asia Pacific region, rapid acceptance in Europe, and continuing
rollouts in North America. Providers are feeling the pressure like
never before to take fiber ever closer to residential and small-business
locations. FTTH has emerged as the best option for offering both higher
speeds and longer reach – not to mention peace of mind about future network
requirements.
But network architects must make dozens of decisions before they break ground
on new deployments and network upgrades to FTTH. These decisions involve
splitter locations, connectorization methods, future upgradability, long-term
maintenance, and cost (first cost, total cost, operating cost, etc.). Making the right
choices is critical to ensure the new infrastructure design aligns as closely as
possible with business expectations now and throughout the life of the network.
Although some parameters may overlap during the network planning process,
important areas that ultimately drive architecture decisions include geographical
location, business case, pre-deployment considerations, and futureproofing.
Understanding any unique challenges posed within each of these areas – such
as population densities, required take rates, advantages and disadvantages of
connectorization options, or ease of migration to next generation technologies –
9 will help service providers choose an optimal FTTH architecture.
The bandwidth requirements will also vary. In a situation that has both residential
and business customers, for example, requirements may vary greatly in terms of
availability and peak usage periods. Existing service-level agreements must also be
honored for large businesses and institutions like hospitals, schools, government
entities, or other large-scale users. Dark fiber applications such as fixed wireless,
wireless LAN or WiMax, mobile networks, and key security monitoring devices may
be required to serve all the customer needs in one area. The FTTH network may
need to connect to some or all of these types of applications.
10
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE
Choosing an optimal FTTH architecture
The physical environment should also be considered for the outside plant portion of
the network. For example, in an area where outside temperatures vary considerably,
the use of hardened connectors or other hardened products may be required to
provide protection from harsh weather (see Figure 1). Is the area prone to flooding,
high wind, or other climatic events that may require everything to be in the ground
or high above the ground?
A decision to spend less on capex to achieve a faster ROI, for instance, may be a good
decision if the network’s life expectancy is relatively short or if it will likely require
major changes in the near future. On the other hand, when longevity of the network
is a primary concern, spending more on capex may yield a longer ROI but save
significant opex over time. In either case, this decision will have a major impact on
the architecture choice.
There are also many factors that will influence how quickly the network can be
deployed or how long an overbuild or upgrade will take to complete. For example,
a completely connectorized network will be in place much faster than an all-
spliced network due to the latter’s specialized labor requirements and the time
required for each splice. This decision also should factor in the availability of
skilled labor – not just in the area of splicing but in general. The speed and scale
of broadband growth is putting a strain on the availability of skilled and qualified
11 workers to install networks and turn up services.
Deployment considerations
As service providers get closer to making an architectural choice, it’s time to
consider issues likely to be encountered during the actual deployment. For
instance, if the network deployment is on a short timeline, then it may be
beneficial to put emphasis on time saving methods such as a connectorized
architecture that requires less skilled labor. But if time isn’t a pressing concern,
then acquiring the skilled technicians to splice the network together or using a
combination of splices and connectors may provide more benefits. The level of
capex must also be considered in the splicing versus connectors choice.
Where is the labor coming from? Some service providers may have their own labor
while others rely solely on contractors.
Again, that makes a d ifference in cost
and skilled labor is not always readily
available. However, trained labor
remains an important requirement,
particularly for ensuring proper
installation and handling of optical fiber.
Even with more resilient and robust
reduced bend radius varieties, optical
fiber is still glass and requires proper
care (see Figure 2).
Ready to choose
Once the “what, where, why, and who” questions have been addressed, it’s time
to get down to the “how” regarding which type of architecture will deliver on
the expectations for the FTTH deployment. Since each deployment has its own
set of challenges, expectations, and unique circumstances, a “one size fits all”
architecture is impractical.
Thus, there is an array of architectural options that provide benefits under the
right set of conditions. The optimal architecture for the service provider will
always be the one that’s most cost-effective, flexible, and scalable while adapting
to the unique challenges of a particular deployment scenario.
OTN Simplified
All-In-One Field Tester with Full OTN Mapping
The NEW MT1000A Network Master Pro – An all-in-one-field tester that will redefine the
future of your test platform. The NEW MT1000A includes dual port testing and multi-stage
OTN mapping of client signals at all data rates – bringing your current and legacy network
1-800-ANRITSU
www.anritsu.com
© 2014 Anritsu Company
By JULIUS FRANCIS
C
arriers and content service providers are experiencing a tsunami
in traffic levels fueled by the ever-increasing consumer and business
demands driven by over-the-top (OTT) applications and the movement
of “all things” into the cloud. To support these levels of traffic – along
with the new and expanded data centers being deployed globally to accommodate
them – network infrastructures have to evolve. That means operators must
embrace change – particularly change that improves network optimization,
maximizes agility, and increases monetization.
Legacy networks’ functions typically are built with fixed, vertically integrated,
and propriety operating systems, software, and hardware. These layers are
“locked in” together and restrict innovation. Lifecycles for hardware are short,
but product development cycles are longer than for the other layers. Software,
operating systems, and hardware need to be decoupled to spur innovation and
15 enable new revenue generating services to be tested and launched quickly.
Resource
Innovation Monetization optimization
Service velocity Improved Optimization
opex/capex across organization
Hardware-centric Software-centric
1403LWfeat04F1
FIGURE 1. Forces behind network functions virtualization.
Fortunately, with new open standards for software-defined networking (SDN) and
network functions virtualization (NFV), “untethering” software from hardware
is for the first time a reality. This decoupling enables more elastic network layers
that will be key to deploying new applications and virtualized network functions
more flexibly and rapidly.
But there’s clearly much greater risk in doing nothing. Traditional operators are
conservative in adopting new technologies, and many wonder what benefits SDN-
and NFV-enabled platforms bring. Currently, operating expenses (opex) contribute
a major part of an operator’s cost of delivering services; as such, optimization is in
focus. Many are evaluating SDN and NFV, however, with an eye toward minimizing
disruptions to their networks and the customers who depend on them.
NFV offers operators the opportunity to move away from the forced-fit
17 legacy approach to add application awareness. Combined with a move to
Distributed Centralized
1403LWfeat04F2
FIGURE 2. A balanced hybrid model is imperative for effective NFV.
NFV promises to enable operators to drive higher margins through better network
utilization and innovative service monetization with greater agility. Importantly,
this is accomplished while defining and deploying new revenue generating
services in “cloud computing” time.
All or nothing?
So, is the next generation network pendulum going to swing all the way from
distributed to centralized with all VNFs hosted centrally? Absolutely not. A hybrid
network model will prevail – centralizing what you can and distributing what you
must (see Figure 2). There are many VNFs that should move to a cloud model,
with others remaining distributed to preserve the application centricity of the
underlying network layer without compromising the NFV value propositions.
A balanced hybrid model might have VNFs such as forensic analytics, application
18 optimization, application security, and long-tail functions centralized. These
are passive VNFs with slow feedback control. Distributed VNFs would include
network analytics probes, network service-level-agreement (SLA) probes, active
network security, contextual service assurance, and low latency edge services.
Distributed VNFs are characterized by contextual affinity, low latency feedback
controls, and consideration of compute versus backhaul costs.
The optimized NFV platform is a key building block in delivering the network
transformation (see Figure 3). It needs to have the following dimensions built in:
Con textual affinity, which is critical in some VNFs that require simplicity,
relevance, low latency, and domain control. Examples such as network analytic
probes, network SLA probes, application-aware steering, and subscriber/tenant
contextual service chaining can be hosted VNFs within intelligent networking
platforms.
:: A
location-agnostic service plane that hosts VNFs should be decoupled from
the control and data planes to put the flexibility and mobility of hosting VNFs
directly into the hands of the operator. VNF hosting should be application-
centric and not be dictated by the tightly coupled legacy approach of fixed
networks.
:: A
distributed service plane with service chaining is possible through the
location-agnostic dimension that gives control to the operator to seamlessly
transition the VNFs within the distributed platform, local point of presence,
or cloud data centers based on changing application-centric demands such as
scale, experimentation, and control. The ability to chain these service locations
should be built into the service plane. SDN plays a key role in making that
possible. The centralized control of the service plane, regardless of where
it resides, gives the operator the dynamism and control that applications
demand.
:: The COTS and open operating-system value must be preserved to ride the
cost and innovation curve of COTS compute and open-source community to
bring operational simplicity and reduced costs. Bringing the COTS model to
server-based hosting is well understood, but preserving the COTS and open
operating-system mindset should be architected from the ground up within
this new breed of intelligent networking platforms.
19 When the multilayer SDN control comes together with NFV and application-
Resistance is futile. Continuing with the status quo of a proprietary, fixed legacy
network is akin to the telecom companies that refused to react when Internet-
based communications changed the communications field forever. Those
companies are no longer a factor in a very vibrant and active marketplace.
Innovation and open environments make the next generation of networks not
only feasible but also a reality for operators seeking to more fully capitalize on
their networks while optimizing opex with innovative monetization. Vendors
can start by building new intelligent networking platforms as building blocks
to enable a network fabric that can be monetized.
21
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE
Company Description:
Anritsu Company (www.anritsu.com) is the United States subsidiary of
Anritsu Corporation, a global provider of innovative communications test and
measurement solutions for more than 110 years. Anritsu provides solutions for
existing and next-generation wired and wireless communication systems and
operators. Anritsu products include wireless, optical, microwave/RF, and digital
instruments as well as operations support systems for R&D, manufacturing,
installation, and maintenance. Anritsu also provides precision microwave/RF
components, optical devices, and high-speed electrical devices for communication
products and systems
links:
22
Lightwave :: EDITORIAL GUIDE