Thousands of building owners and residents in locations typically bypassed during fiber deployments will gain access to high-quality internet services, thanks to HomeGrid Forum member Positron Access.
Positron, a HomeGrid Forum member since July 2022, has designed a G.hn Access Multiplexer (GAM) capable of extending 10 Gigabit Symmetrical Passive Optical Networks (XGS-PON) to deliver Gigabit services to brownfield properties. By harnessing existing wiring infrastructure, including legacy telephone pairs or coaxial cabling, operators can now activate subscribers in Multi Dwelling Units (MDUs) at 20% of the typical cost of rewiring.
Brownfield MDUs are often located near an abundance of fiber yet are often overlooked due to the cost and complexity of rewiring these older buildings with fiber to each door. Another major roadblock with Fiber Extension solutions has been the complexity of provisioning subscribers and activating services.
MDUs regarded as ‘passed homes’ may never become paying subscribers or have access to the reliable, ubiquitous connectivity typical of Single-Family Units (SFUs).
PON, the GAM supports native XGS-PON with full OMCI (G.988) compliance. This turns the solution into a multi-port optical network terminal (ONT). Combining XGS-PON and OMCI, with support from the Broadband Forum’s ‘fiber-to-the-extension-point’ standard (TR-419), the GAM is already used by innovative operators like United Fiber, Nuvera and Paul Bunyan to efficiently serve legacy properties with XGS-PON. These operators leverage the same flow-through provisioning and analytics capabilities of their XGS-PON vendor to serve MDUs.
The GAM offers the required layer-2 VLAN, QoS, bandwidth shaping, and security capabilities essential when deploying a managed Wi-Fi solution. Coupling G.hn technology with XGS-PON enables the delivery of Gigabit services without rewiring disruption for the lowest CAPEX and OPEX. Subscribers are provisioned using the same operations and business support systems, increasing operators’ market size, revenues, and traffic on the xPON network.
With a converged Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure inside their MDUs, ownership groups now have the tools to address smart buildings and overcome future connectivity challenges for their residents. Operators that invested in deploying XGS-PON (or GPON) services can use the GAM to maximize their RoI and achieve higher adoption rates.
HomeGrid Forum President Livia Rosu, also leading strategy alliances landscape at MaxLinear
We would like to congratulate Positron on its groundbreaking G.hn Access Multiplexer solution. The GAM is now fitted with a Positron-designed XGS-PON ONT in an SFP+ form factor. Not only does it address the digital divide, but it also transforms brownfield MDUs into easily serviced homes, resulting into a highly profitable segment for operators. This development is a win for service providers, residents, building owners, and Wi-Fi and Fiber equipment vendors alike.
President and Chief Technology Officer of Positron Access, Pierre Trudeau
With our innovative GAM solution, brownfield MDUs will no longer be bypassed, as they will become much more profitable than SFUs. Subscribers appear as if they are being served by individual ONTs, greatly extending the xPON access network service coverage, giving owners and residents access to reliable, high-quality Gigabit services. We would like to thank the HomeGrid Forum for its ongoing support throughout the development process and to our Wi-Fi vendors partners leading managed Wi-Fi solutions.
