Network Cabling Magazine, January 2007
Written by Rob King, Vice President and General manager of Sunrise Telecom Broadband

What did we accomplish in 2006 - and where are we headed in the year to come?

Cable operators, Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunications companies are faced with the challenge of delivering ultra-high speed data to the home to offer competitive broadband services and new communication and entertainment media.

From feature films stored in digital jukeboxes that allow viewers to pause and restart at any time to video-chatting (soon to replace instant messaging), savvy consumers expect their communications providers to deliver better quality, more reliable systems that transport extremely high bandwidth content when and where they want it.

In the quest to be first to deliver the latest fiber-optic technology to the home through widespread deployment of triple play services (voice, data and video) one Tier 1 telecommunications service provider in the U.S. launched a comprehensive broadband-over-fiber service in early 2005. The company initially launched the service, which uses an expensive fiber to the premise (FTTP) network, in the southwestern U.S. and has since expanded to the northeast, southeast and west.

At up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second), it represents a quantum leap compared with traditional high-speed internet services which typically reach a maximum rate of 1.5 Mbps. Using optics to deliver laser-generated pulses of light riding on paper-thin strands of glass, this service has the potential to make broadband access to feature films, CD-quality audio and video-chatting the mainstay of Internet entertainment and communication.

In addition, the all-fiber network will provide a foundation for increased bandwidth demands and future offerings, ultimately allowing customers to subscribe to a “bundle” of services appearing on a comprehensive yet consolidated bill. Broadband-over-fiber service is quickly becoming mandatory for service providers who want to be perceived as both responsive and price-competitive and who are intent on capturing and retaining customers want digital entertainment.

Given the competitive nature of the telecommunications industry, it is no surprise many telecom companies have embraced these new technologies and announced their own triple play deployments.

Entertainment at the speed of light

Once telecom providers are able to fully deploy broadband-over-fiber service, it is expected to revolutionize the Internet and deliver a wide range of features literally at the speed of light. Yet as this aggressive deployment of expensive, FTTP networks moves forward, companies face a range of challenges, from the ability to fund the roll-out to obtaining right-of-way consent as the fiber is installed.

Essentially, service providers are delivering high-speed data and video content all the way to the premise via optical fiber or FTTP. At the premise, the FTTP is converted to electrical signals, which are distributed using RF signals and/or traditional coaxial home wiring. That is perhaps the most challenging problem.

Early on, technicians encountered never-before-seen environments that required an entirely new class of service verification and testing. Integrating these new technologies represented an industry milestone with an entirely new set of applications that few, if any, telephone companies or technicians had anticipated. Traditionally, telephone technicians work with twisted pair wiring. Many have not worked with RF and coaxial cabling, making the learning curve a significant issue.

In addition to the steep learning curve, these first all-fiber networks requir testing and maintenance at all levels – from the outside plant to the central office and from OTDR to 10 Gigabit Ethernet or SONET. Since the fiber network essentially stops at the side of the premise, technicians need a way to test the video distribution across the analog and digital channels inside the customer location. They need a system to deliver the tests required for an integrated fiber/coaxial network, including the quality and performance of RF signals.

A new class of test systems

The answer is a new class of test systems that offer, in addition to conventional digital tests such as MER, BER, level and constellation on the forward path, a new technology that allows Block Error Rate (BkER) testing on the return path without a head-end unit.

With new return BkER technology, technicians can characterize the return path performance. The solution also needs to be flexible and scalable, allowing operators to test VOD, IP Video and Ethernet systems.

As the roll-out of triple-play services continues, several key features of this new class of test systems have emerged as critical success factors in speeding deployment and reducing truck rolls. One is an auto quick test feature, which allows technicians to quickly perform standard tests that provide a clear indication across the entire channel plan of the quality of the plant and RF signal. The feature provides a benchmark for testing minimum standards as well as maximum thresholds or tolerance levels.

In addition, field techs can pinpoint specific impairments successfully through measurements of frequency response and equalization, as well as other metrics. Using the constellation, frequency response and equalizer display enables technicians to clearly relate technical imperfections to the quality of the picture on customers’ TV screens.

Using this system, operators can test the downstream or ingress spectrum display, which in turn enables them to qualify the coaxial in-premise wiring. Not only can they test for minimum operational standards based on the physical condition of the wiring, but they can measure how susceptible the wiring is to interference from common household appliances.

Service providers of all levels will continue to encounter never-before-seen challenges when deploying FTTP and integrating advanced technologies with legacy networks, systems, and equipment. These companies must realize that while their work force will not have experience in handling video and the RF infrastructure, there are new technologies out there to help speed deployment and reduce the installation and maintenance costs of new network services.