Evolving a fibre-to-the-node access infrastructure

Competition between the Cablecos and Telcos in Canada to win the broadband home is intense. Cablecos are already delivering voice services. Erosion of the Telco voice market is being evidenced. For Bell Canada, delivery of a broadcast video service is a critical component in winning the broadband home. Bell Canada is already an entrenched national satellite video service provider. Nevertheless, a wireline video delivery solution is essential to complement satellite and increase market share in major urban areas. Bell Canada is deploying a fibre-to-the-node infrastructure in existing residential areas for delivery of IP-based broadcast video content. Fibre-to-the-Node fully leverages the copper distribution plant enabling broad coverage and rapid revenue generation. Emerging VDSL2 technology delivers throughputs of 25 Mbps to the end customer over this infrastructure. However, delivery of the full set of competitive services including multiple high definition video streams and on demand content stresses this architecture. An evolution strategy is required. This paper compares the evolution alternatives including fibre-to-the-premises. Emphasis is on planning considerations enabling a cost-effective evolution to a fibre-to-the-premises architecture.