Contributed Article

The optical distribution network (ODN) is a point-to-multipoint passive optical network (PON), as shown in FIG. 2-1. The ODN is an optical transmission channel from an optical line terminal (OLT) in a central office (CO) to multiple optical network units (ONUs) on the user side.

In traditional ODN construction, the feeder optical cables, distribution optical cables, and drop cables are stripped or terminated onsite for fiber connection. In both OSP and ISP scenarios, cable distribution boxes need to be opened before optical cable installation and connection.
It is difficult to monitor the traditional ODN resources in real time because the ODN is passive. Currently, the traditional ODN resources are managed mainly by means of manual onsite recording with paper labels. Therefore, problems such as difficult fault locating and delayed update of maintenance information exist in the data entry and resource maintenance phases, causing heavy workloads and low efficiency. Even faults and errors caused by data information deviation may occur. As the scale of the broadband access network increases, the traditional ODNs face a series of challenges in applications.

In the traditional ODN, the connection status of optical ports in the cable distribution box is usually labeled on patch cords and recorded in a chart attached to the box. The installation and maintenance personnel manually record the connection status on site and enter the information into the system afterwards. After long-term O&M, the paper labels may fall off or severely fade, causing disordered port scheduling and failing to sort out the connections with the patch cords. According to survey statistics, the accuracy of optical port information manually recorded by some carriers outside China is lower than 70%.
In addition, because the optical ports of the conventional ODN distribution box are not associated with the ONUs/ONTs of users, after the users apply for network exit, information indicating release of the optical ports cannot be fed back to the resource management system in a timely manner. As a result, the cables are still connected but the user devices have been removed. The resource silence rate of some carriers outside China reaches up to 10% to 20%, wasting the initial construction investment. Even some feeder and distribution optical cables also need to be reconstructed after resource silence, reducing the efficiency of the investment in the optical network construction.
Inaccurate ODN connection information has always been a major challenge for carriers. The traditional O&M depends on manual operations and has many problems. Therefore, strict processes and specifications are required to improve the resource management accuracy.
How to resolve the bottleneck of the traditional ODNs will be the focus of research on digital and intelligent ODNs. Therefore, to address the challenges faced by the traditional ODN construction and health management, digital and intelligent management is required for the next-generation ODNs.
As the fiber infrastructure, the ODN is the most complex and costly part of fiber to the home (FTTH) construction. How to reduce the construction and O&M difficulties has been a continuous research topic in the industry. Based on the industry consensus, three generations are defined for different evolution phases of the digital and intelligent ODN solution, as shown in the following figure.

A digital and intelligent ODN system connects the OLT and ONUs through digital and intelligent ODN hardware, and connects to the carriers’ operation support system (OSS, including the resource management system and fault management system) in the upstream direction, to collect optical path information from the ODN network, restore the optical path topology, and demarcate and locate faults. The following figure shows the position of the digital and intelligent ODN system on the network.

The digital and intelligent ODN system consists of the physical label, digital and intelligent ODN device, intelligent optical path sensing device, intelligent management terminal, intelligent management system, and dumb resource collection and control module. It supports interconnection with the third-party OSS system. The following figure shows the reference model of the digital and intelligent ODN.

The construction of the digital and intelligent ODN includes reconstruction of the traditional ODN and new deployments. The following figure shows the functional entity model in the traditional ODN reconstruction scenario.

The following figure shows the functional entity model in the new deployment scenario.

Currently, the commercial digital and intelligent ODN technologies belong to ODN 2.0, and the ODN 3.0 technology is still in the R&D phase. The following describes the ODN 2.0 solution and its applications. The digital and intelligent ODN is a passive ODN network that is highly automated and intelligent in terms of precise resource management and fast service provisioning by introducing new technologies such as digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) throughout its lifecycle, including planning, construction, acceptance, O&M, and maintenance. It improves the O&M efficiency and quality. The following figure shows the requirements for network digitalization throughout the ODN lifecycle.

In traditional networking of digital and intelligent ODNs, an intelligent optical path sensing device, optical path switching device (OSW), and optical coupler are deployed on the OLT side, and an intelligent digital optical splitter with the split ratio of 1:4 or 1:8 is installed in the level-1 FDT.

In new deployment scenarios of QuickConnect ODNs, each link consists of a Hub Box, multiple Sub Boxes, and one End Box (all of them have a built-in intelligent digital optical splitter). The onsite construction procedure is the same as that of traditional QuickConnect devices, without additional processes or requirements. In this way, intelligent O&M can be implemented in coordination with the intelligent optical path sensing device and OSW device on the OLT side, to support remote acceptance and fault demarcation and locating, as shown in the following figure.

In the reconstruction scenarios for QuickConnect ODN networking, because the shell of the QuickConnect product cannot be opened, external intelligent digital optical cables or fiber adapters can be used to upgrade the optical splitters on the live network so that the optical splitters have digital-intelligent capabilities to support intelligent O&M, remote acceptance, and fault demarcation and locating, thereby implementing live network reconstruction, as shown in the following figure.

The following figure shows the CO migration for OLT upgrade when the intelligent optical path sensing device and optical path switch unit are installed in the OLT subrack.

The ODN is an important part of a fiber bandwidth network. The traditional ODN cannot meet the requirements of high-quality development of fiber broadband networks due to long construction period, high deployment cost, difficult fiber management, and slow troubleshooting. Therefore, the digital and intelligent ODN has become the ODN evolution direction due to cost-effective deployment, efficient management and O&M, and simplified connections.
Based on the technologies such as identification of branch optical lines, QuickConnect, and uneven optical splitting of optical splitters, the digital and intelligent ODN features automatic setup of network topology, real-time monitoring of the line status, flexible scalability, easy construction and maintenance, and precise resource management, thereby implementing visualized management of access network resources throughout the lifecycle.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Ohad Peled, Product Marketing Manager at Sony Semiconductor Israel

The global home medical equipment market is experiencing explosive growth. Smart devices are being used to monitor and treat patients suffering from diabetes, cardiac disorders, and other medical conditions without exposing those patients to the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Numerous organizations, including the World Health Organization and the National Council of Aging, are promoting self-health management to give patients better outcomes. … [visit site to read more]

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Indian telco Reliance Jio is reportedly moving to ramp up onboarding of new customers for its AirFiber 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) business over the next year in an apparent move to boost 5G ARPUs ahead of a planned IPO later this year.

According to a report from ETTelecom on Thursday, citing various analyst reports, Jio has been scaling up distribution and optimising the onboarding process for its AirFiber service to enable it to add at least 1 million new customers every 30 days.

Jio had over 2.8 million AirFiber connections at the end of September 2024, and was projected to add another 1.9 million home broadband users by the end of 2024, the report said.

In essence, Jio is banking on AirFiber to boost network traffic on its 5G network as well as its monthly 5G ARPU, which is three times higher for AirFiber than for Jio’s mobile 5G ARPU, the report said.

Despite having one of the largest 5G subscriber bases in the world, Jio has been struggling to monetise 5G after spending a reported US$25 billion (including spectrum costs) to roll out its nationwide network. Part of that has to do with initially promoting the service with unlimited data plans, as well as migrating low-value JioBharat phone users to 5G, which has kept ARPU relatively low. 

In July 2024, Jio raised the price of its mobile 5G packages to boost 5G revenue, but the impact on its finance sheets won’t appear until at least the fourth quarter of this year, according to analyst estimates.

As such, growing its AirFiber business by a million new customers a month could enable Jio to boost 5G ARPU faster. That in turn would make a potential IPO for Jio’s parent company, Jio Platforms Ltd, more attractive, the report said.

Earlier this week, Sanford C Bernstein reportedly valued Jio Platforms at US$98 billion. At that valuation under current rules, a Jio Platforms IPO could be worth around INR421 billion (US$490.1 million), which would make it the largest IPO in Indian history.

That said, ETTelecom also reports, a senior Jio official recently told the publication Jio Platforms isn’t in a hurry to launch an IPO, as its investors – which include Google, Silver Lake, and Mubadala Investment Co “are committed for the long-term”.

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Based in Singapore, Sarah’s extensive expertise in international digital infrastructure will continue Telstra International’s leadership in the Wholesale market. With 25 years’ industry experience, Sarah previously served as Chief Revenue Officer for Neos Networks, a UK infrastructure business managing both Enterprise and Wholesale and held the position of Business Development Director for Telefonica Global Solutions, overseeing sales, commercial, and solution design teams across LatAm, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.

“Telstra International has unrivalled network reach and footprint in subsea cabling in the Asia Pacific region, boosted by an established Cable Landing Station footprint and terrestrial Data Centre connectivity. We have a huge opportunity for exponential growth. The depth and breadth of experience that Telstra International brings to market, alongside the significant digital infrastructure capability positions us well to lead. There is increasing demand for robust connectivity, significant capacity and digital services and we are poised to meet this demand head-on,” said Sarah Mills, Head of Wholesale, Telstra International.

At the heart of Sarah’s operations will be the customer, sustainable operations and expanding on diversity and inclusion.

“Sarah’s extensive experience and passion for partnering with customers make her an invaluable addition to our team. Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to invest in critical digital infrastructure and upgrade technology to provide capacity on our subsea cable systems, ensuring we are placed to meet the increasing demand for data being driven by emerging technologies.

“Sarah’s clearly motivated by enabling people to be their best and fostering a collaborative environment. Her dedication to excellence and her strategic vision will be key drivers in our ongoing efforts to innovate and lead in the industry,” said Roary Stasko, CEO of Telstra International.

Several interesting items of regional interest from this week to catch up with: … [visit site to read more]

News

At CES 2025, Toyota Motor Corporation announced the completion of Phase 1 construction of Toyota Woven City (“Woven City”), its self-made smart city at the base of Mount Fuji.

The Japanese automaker giant has labelled the city as a “test course for mobility” and plans to launch Phase 1 for late 2025.

Speaking at the CES confrence, Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s Chairman of the Board of Directors (Representative Director), detailed his vision for the city: 

“From personal mobility devices, like a wheelchair race car…to drones that safely escort you home at night, to interactive pet robots that provide support and companionship for the elderly, to flying cars…”

At the official launch of Woven City, approximately 100 residents―primarily Toyota and WbyT staff and their families―are expected to participate in co-creation activities as the first residents. Plans to welcome the general public are in place for 2026.

The Woven City concept was first unveiled in 2020, where it was described as a “living laboratory”.

Woven City is ideated to be where “Inventors” can develop, test, and validate innovative products and services. These inventors include Toyota and Toyota Group companies, such as WbyT, as well as external companies, startups, and individual entrepreneurs.

This article was written by Grace Dawes, Editor of movemnt.net

Also in the news:
VEON and Starlink to launch Direct-to-Cell Satellite connectivity in Ukraine
Swisscom completes acquisition of Vodafone Italia
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m

Incumbent Maldives telco Dhiraagu said on Wednesday it has extended its high-speed fibre broadband network to all inhabited islands in the Maldives in a project that took five years to complete.

At a press conference announcing the milestone, Dhiraagu CEO and MD Ismail Rasheed noted that “only a few developed countries have successfully extended 100% fibre broadband coverage to their entire population.”

While the Maldives is a small country with less than 578,000 people, it’s also a geographically challenging archipelago of close to 1,200 islands across 22 atolls. Of that, around 200 islands are inhabited. All of those islands now have access to fibre broadband services, Ismail said.

Ismail also said the rollout enhances the Maldives’ digital backbone and will fuel the growth of digital services across the country, as well as enable greater digital inclusion in island communities by expanding broadband access and lowering the cost of internet services.

Ismail credited the government, atoll councils, island councils and partners for their cooperation in rolling out the fibre broadband network, as well as the work of Dhiraagu staff.

As for the international connectivity backing that network, the islands of the Maldives archipelago are connected by several inter-island subsea cable systems, but currently its only international subsea link is to Sri Lanka via the Maldives Sri Lanka Cable (MSC), which has been in operation since 2021.

That said, the Maldives has established a landing point for the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) subsea cable connecting Mumbai with Singapore, which will interconnect with the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) subsea cable system connecting Mumbai with Milan, Italy, that is scheduled to be ready for service sometime in 2025.

Dhiraagu inaugurated the official landing of the SEA-ME-WE 6 subsea cable in the Maldives in August 2024. SEA-ME-WE 6 is scheduled to be ready for service in early 2026. It will also be the first international subsea cable in which a Maldives telco owns a direct stake.

For the first time since 2021, the final quarter of 2024 was not the most prolific period of the year for cyberattacks. The attack rate peaked at 2,192 per day in the third quarter of 2024 before declining to 2,063 per day in Q4. Despite this reduction, the final three months of 2024 were only the third quarter on record when the average number of cyberattacks encountered by UK businesses exceeded 2,000 a day.

Previously, 2023 was the worst year on record for cyberattacks on UK businesses, when companies encountered an average of 720,252 malicious attempts to breach their systems each. Before 2024, the average number of attacks in a single quarter had only exceeded 2,000 in Q4 2023.

Remote IoT devices attract most cyberattacks 

Hackers attacked remotely controlled devices connected to the Internet of Things most frequently in 2024. Business firewalls encountered more than 161 daily attacks targeting applications such as building control systems, security cameras, networked printers, remote monitoring, and industrial automation systems. 

Web applications, remote desktop software, and company databases were also frequently targeted, with businesses typically attracting more than 20 individual attacks daily for each of these systems in 2024.

Beaming tracks a quarter of hackers to locations in China

Beaming’s analysts identified over a million IP addresses being used to launch cyberattacks on UK businesses in 2024 and traced almost a quarter (241,019) of them to locations in China. Beaming also identified significant and increasing volumes of cyberattacks that appeared to come from areas inside India (87,144 attacking IP addresses) and the USA (81,112) in 2024.

Sonia Blizzard, Managing Director of Beaming, said: “The rise of automated cyberattacks means the internet has never been more dangerous, and we expect it will become even more so as hackers use AI. The good news is that we are not seeing record numbers of companies crippled by hackers because businesses have got better at protecting themselves and ISPs such as Beaming are working hard to prevent malicious activity at a network level.”