LAS VEGAS -- NXTcomm 2008 -- Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) is showing off a proof-of-concept demo of 10 Gbit/s GPON, hoping to boost the access presence that it garnered through the acquisition of Entrisphere. (See Ericsson Demos 10-Gig GPON and Ericsson Spells Defense G-P-O-N.)

Ericsson says this is all about the carriers that are hoping to get more out of big fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) bets.

“It provides a roadmap for GPON as a sustaining life cycle, said Arun Bhikshesvaran, CTO of Ericsson North America. “I think as we look to a combination of new Internet services and HD channels, these applications will gobble up the capacity.”

Carriers at NXTcomm have demonstrated they can deliver a whole lot of bandwidth on older technologies. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) announced that it will soon start offering 50 Mbit/s to all of its FiOS customers. (See Verizon Takes 50-Mbit/s FiOS to the Masses.) Most of that bandwidth will be delivered over 622 Mbit/s BPONs.



A beefier GPON, though, could deliver bigger numbers. “Imagine getting 100 Mbit/s to every desktop in an office building. The solutions for that are not currently there,” said Bhikshesvaran.



Ericsson says it increased the capacity of its GPON technology much in the same way carriers increase capacity through copper pair bonding. In this case, it aggregates wavelengths to increase the capacity. “The challenge is to make sure you can retain the photonic performance when you split it across multiple wavelengths,” said Bhikshesvaran.

Standards for 10-Gbit/s GPON aren't ready yet, so the technology -- including Ericsson's demo -- is a ways off from commercialization. The Full Service Access Network (FSAN) organization has a working group established, and it could be in a position to send a recommended 10-Gbit/s standard to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2010, says Geoff Burke, director of marketing for Calix Inc. (NYSE: CALX)

Meanwhile, the Ethernet PON (EPON) camp continues its work on a 10-Gbit/s standard, as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) 802.3av task force. Talk of a 10-Gbit/s EPON has been around for a couple of years, and the standard appears to be on track for ratification in late 2009. (See EPON Evangelists Talk 10-Gig and EPON Goes to 10 Gbit/s.)

— Raymond McConville, Reporter, and Craig Matsumoto, Senior Editor, Light Reading