Ethernet
passive optical networks (EPON) are an emerging access network technology that
provides a low-cost method of deploying optical access lines between a carrier's
central office (CO) and a customer site. EPONs build on the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) standard G.983 for asynchronous transfer mode PONs (APON) and seek
to bring to life the dream of a full-services access network (FSAN) that delivers
converged data, video, and voice over a single optical access system. The communications
industry is on the cusp of a revolution that will transform the landscape. This
revolution is characterized by three fundamental drivers. First, deregulation
has opened the local loop to competition, launching a whole new class of carriers
that are spending billions to build out their networks and develop innovative
new services. Second, the rapid decline in the cost of fiber optics and Ethernet
equipment is beginning to make them an attractive option in the access network.
Third, the Internet has spawned genuine demand for broadband services, leading
to unprecedented growth in Internet protocol (IP) data traffic and putting pressure
on carriers to upgrade their networks. These drivers are, in turn, promoting two
new key market trends. First, deployment of fiber optics is extending from the
backbone to the wide-area network (WAN) and the metropolitan-area network (MAN)
and will soon penetrate into the local loop. Second, Ethernet is spreading from
the local-area network (LAN) to the MAN and the WAN as the uncontested standard.
