ZTE offers Combo PON Plus for simultaneous support of FTTH and 5G fronthaul
ZTE Corp. (0763.HK / 000063.SZ) has introduced Combo PON Plus, a means to simultaneously GPON and 10G PON as well as 5G fronthaul via a single port and feeder fiber. Combo PON Plus, delivered as a line card enables rapid, cost-effective 5G deployments and full-service broadband operations over the same infrastructure, ZTE asserts.
The Combo PON Plus line card enables connection of 5G macro cells through the optical line terminal (OLT) of previously fielded PON infrastructures. It thus enables operators to leverage their existing FTTx infrastructures, including access offices, fibers, ducts, and outdoor cabinets, to provide 5G fronthaul support. The approach reduces rollout costs and shortens service provisioning time, ZTE states.
ZTE initially introduced Combo PON, a means to support simplified evolution from GPON to 10G PON, in 2016. The company states the technology has been deployed since then “on a large scale.” ADTRAN recently unveiled a similar technology that it also calls Combo PON (see “ADTRAN Combo PON provides GPON/XGS-PON support on same distribution network”).
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.