FSAN interoperability efforts: building toward G-PON interoperability

The full service access network´s (FSAN) interoperability task group (TG) addresses interoperability between PON systems. Recently, the TG has focused on gigabit passive optical network (G-PON) system interoperability between optical line terminations (OLT) and optical network terminations (ONT) of different vendors, which has leveraged the lessons learned from broadband passive optical network (B-PON) interoperability. The TG members have made progress with interoperability by analyzing the International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunications (ITU-T) Recommendations to develop test plans and demonstrate implementations that work across multiple vendors´ OLTs and ONTs. This article defines interoperability and conformance and describes the FSAN´s interoperability program to develop common test plans. It describes recent and planned G-PON interoperability demonstrations, as well as current challenges facing the industry