KPN recently announced that it will be using XGS-PON technology on its fiber network from October.
XGS stands for ten (X), Gigabit (G) and Symmetrical (S). As a result, it will soon be possible to achieve much higher speeds than with the GPON technology currently in use. KPN started field trials this summer in Scherpenzeel in Gelderland and in Hengelo. The experiences from these tests are positive. For this reason, XGS-PON will become the standard for existing GPON networks and any new fiber networks that are built.
10 Gigabit symmetrical XGS-PON offers speeds of up to about 10 Gbps symmetrical. With current GPON, the highest achievable speed is 2.5 Gbps downstream and 1.25 Gbps upstream. Before 2018, KPN used so-called Point-to-Point technology on its fiber network. This allows for up and down speeds of a maximum of 1 Gbps.
Less prone to disruption, KPN introduced GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology to its fiber network in 2019. Like XGS-PON technology, this modern fiber technology makes use of splitters, so that parts of the network can be used by different customers simultaneously. This has the advantage that it can be rolled out faster. It also needs fewer junction boxes and the network can be monitored remotely, so that fewer mechanic visits are required. The customer can also switch more easily from one telecom service provider to another. Disruptions on a PON network are rare, because little or no manual work is involved after installation.
Babak Fouladi, KPN’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer and member of the Board of Management
This means that they will have access to a technology that, in the long term, can offer them speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Both down- and upstream, as these are the same with XGS-PON. In the future, the engineering will be able to progress to the next PON-technology, which will increase the capacity to 25 Gbps or even higher.
