What is a PON network?

A passive optical network (PON) is a telecommunications technology used to provide fiber to the end consumer, both domestic and commercial. A PON's distinguishing feature is that it implements a point-to-multipoint architecture, in which unpowered fiber optic splitters are used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple end-points. The end-points are often individual customers, rather than commercial. A PON does not have to provision individual fibers between the hub and customer. Passive optical networks are often referred to as the "last mile" between an ISP and customer.

What is a PON structure?

The PON system is mainly composed of an optical line terminal (OLT: Optical Line Terminal) of the central office, an optical distribution network (ODN: Optical Distribution Network) including passive optical components, and an optical network unit/optical network terminal (ONU/ONT Optical) at the user end. Network Unit / Optical Network Terminal), the difference is that the ONT is directly at the user end, and there are other networks between the ONU and the user, such as Ethernet) and the network element management system (EMS), which usually adopts point-to-multipoint Tree topology.

What are the advantages of PON network?

The outstanding advantage of the PON network is the elimination of outdoor active devices, all signal processing functions are done in the switch and in the user's home equipment. Moreover, the initial investment of this access method is small, and most of the funds are deferred until the user actually accesses. Its transmission distance is shorter than that of the active fiber access system, and the coverage range is small, but its cost is low, no need to set up a separate machine room, and maintenance is easy. Therefore, this structure can economically serve home users.