Optimizing the Next Generation Optical Access

Networks
Ferney Orlando Amaya F., Ana Mara Crdenas Soto

I. Tafur Monroy

GIDATI Research Group

Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana
Medelln-Colombia

Department of Photonics Engineering

Technical University of Denmark
DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

AbstractSeveral issues in the design and optimization of the

next generation optical access network (NG-OAN) are presented.
The noise, the distortion and the fiber optic nonlinearities are
considered to optimize the video distribution link in a passive
optical network (PON). A discussion of the effect of the optical
amplification in the performance of the standardized PON is
presented comparing the performance of the EDFA (Erbium
Doped Fiber Amplifier) and the distributed Raman
amplification. The effect of the Raman amplification in extending
the reach of the NG-OAN is analyzed and some requirements are
presented.
Keywords-optical communications; passive optical network
(PON); wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM); subcarrier
multiplexing (SCM); nonlinear optics

I.
INTRODUCTION
The increasing demand of bandwidth of the fixed and
mobile users has motivated service providers to upgrade the
network infrastructure supporting high transfer rates with low
cost. One of the strategies to upgrade the infrastructure is the
deployment of optical fiber deeper in the access networks to
satisfy the user demand
With that purpose, several types of fiber-to-the-premises
(FTTPs) schemes have been proposed as the PON architecture,
which is reliable and is favorable for operators in terms of
installation, operation and maintenance costs [1]. The PON
topology shares the optical line terminal (OLT), located in the
local exchange over several optical network units (ONUs)
located in the customer premises. Based on this topology, time
division multiple access TDM-PON is already standardized and
commercialized, providing up to 20 km of reach, up to 64
ONUs per OLT, and between 10 and 100 Mbps of link speed
per ONU. The main standardized alternatives of TDM-PON are
Gigabit EthernetPON (GE-PON) and Gigabit-PON (G-PON).
In TDM-PON three wavelengths are employed for the
distribution of information: 1550 nm to distribute video, 1490
nm is the voice and data downstream channel and 1310 nm is
the voice and data upstream channel. The 1550 nm wavelength
transports the video channels multiplexed on different radiofrequency (RF) subcarriers in a subcarrier multiplexing (SCM)
scheme. The video signal may be analogically modulated with
amplitude modulation-vestigial side band (AM-VSB) or

digitally modulated with multilevel quadrature-amplitudemodulation (M-ary QAM).

In order to upgrade PON toward next generation optical
access networks, several approaches have been proposed.
These include the employing of wavelength-division multipleaccess (WDMA), in the WDM-PON approach, and the use of
optical amplification.
WDM-PON has many advantages over TDM-PON such as
high bandwidth, protocol transparency and more security [1].
On the other hand, the optical amplification allows extent the
reach of optical access links with the aim of integrating access
and metro network segments into a single system in the long
reach-PON (LR-PON) approach [2].
Additionally, in the next generation optical access
networks, the distribution of video and the mobility support
must be addressed. In this case, the SCM scheme can be
employed for the distribution of analog or digital video and for
the transport of RF signals in the mobile system scenario. For
the video distribution case, SCM allows bandwidth saving and
flexibility compared with the transport of video over a digital
carrier [3]. In the RoF scenario, SCM allows a direct
conversion in the base station, saving cost and decreasing the
complexity [4].
The optical access network architecture based on both
SCM-WDM for the distribution of information and optical
amplification, achieve high bandwidth, flexible scalability and
long reach, allowing upgrade PON toward NG-OAN.
However, in the design of this architecture, it is necessary to
consider the noise introduced by the system and the
interference produced by the nonlinearities of the optical fiber.
The use of SCM-WDM and the optical amplification
introduce noise in the system and increase the effect of the
nonlinearities. The high value of carrier to noise ratio (CNR)
required in the transport of video using SCM, increase the
nonlinearities due to the increase in the input optical power.
On the other hand, the optical amplifier adds the ASE
(amplified spontaneous emission) noise and impact the
crosstalk produced by the fiber optic nonlinearities.
For this reason, the selection of the optical launch power in
the NG-OAN is a critical issue. The balance between the fiber

In this paper, we address several issues in the design and

optimization of the NG-OAN. In Section 2 we discuss some
alternatives to upgrade PON. The basic NG-OAN is presented
and discussed. In Section 3 we discus the main impairments in
the design of SCM-WDM links including some equations
employed in the optimization process.
In Section 4 we present optimal performance parameters for
SCM-WDM in a PON. We compare the ASE power and the
nonlinear crosstalk when EDFA and distributed Raman
amplification are used in standardized PON. Optical power
values are presented when the OAN is extended using
distributed Raman amplification. Finally, the conclusions are
presented.
II.

ALTERNATIVES TO UPGRADE PON

Several alternatives have been proposed to upgrade PON.

The PON architecture may require modifications in the
infrastructure in order to offer higher bandwidth and reach to
higher number of users. The high cost of the light source in
WDM-PON is an implementation issue and several alternatives
of low-cost WDM light sources have been proposed to obtain
cheap and colourless ONUs. (1) The employment of a FabryPerot laser diode (FP-LD) injected by an external spectrum to
produce a single mode laser. The injected spectrum is produced
by a broadband light source spectrally sliced by a wavelength
filter [11]. (2) The usage of a RSOA (Reflective
Semiconductor Optical Amplifier) or a reflective EAM (Electro
Absorption Modulator) in the ONU, which removes the
downstream data and re-modulates the input light with the
upstream data [4].
On the other hand, the optical amplification may be
achieved with EDFAs or using the Raman effect. Raman
amplification allows distributed amplification using the
transport medium as gain medium, obtaining bidirectional
amplification, low noise figure and enabling to centralize the
placement and control of the Raman pumps [12].
The architecture of a next generation optical access is
depicted in Fig. 1. In the core exchange the optical receiver
contains a WDM demultiplexer and a set of photo receivers.
The optical transmitter make use of a fixed-wavelength laser
array or a Multi-Frequency Laser (MFL); the downlink and
uplink channels are separated using a 3 dB coupler or a
circulator [13].

C
OR

Backhaul
link

Core Exchange

ONU
AWG

OT

Optical
amplification

Previous studies have been analyzed the optimization in

SCM-WDM links [5], [6], [7] and the nonlinear crosstalk in
PON [8], [9]. However, the effect of the optical amplification is
not included. Additionally, the nonlinear effects and the noise
under optical amplification have been studied in WDM for the
transmission of digital signals [10], but for the SCM-WDM
case, those effects have not been analyzed.

Optical
amplification

optic nonlinearities and the required CNR impose an optimal

optical launch power in the access network.

Local Exchange

WDM optical link

Single wavelength optical link
OT: Optical transmitter
OR: Optical receiver
C: 3 dB coupler or circulator
Figure 1. Architecture of a next generation optical access network.

Optical amplification is employed to extent the reach of the

backhaul link, allowing for expanded power budgets and large
splitting ratio in the access system. Distributed Raman
amplification may employ the downstream pumping or the
bidirectional pumping scheme. The downstream pumping uses
optical pump lasers only in the core exchange and the
bidirectional pumping use pumps in the core and local
exchanges.
An arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) is placed in the local
exchange to separate the wavelengths of each ONU.
The ONU may be based on FP-LD or RSOA for the uplink
channel.
III.

PERFORMANCE CALCULATION METHOD

This section presents the equations and impairments

considered to obtain performance parameters in the access
network. We use the carrier to noise ratio CNR as performance
quality measure. This parameter includes the following signal
impairments: relative crosstalk from other wavelength channels
due to fiber optic nonlinearities, nonlinear distortion and
standard noise. The following equation includes all the
considered impairments:

CNR = [CN 1 + CNLD 1 + XT ]1 ,

(1)

where CN is the carrier to standard noise sources ratio,

CNLD is the carrier to nonlinear distortion ratio and XT
includes the SRS (stimulated Raman scattering) and XPM
(cross phase modulation) crosstalk. The effects of the optical
amplification must be included in the CNR calculation.
Equation 1 allows to optimize the optical power, finding the
minimum optical launch power required to satisfy a target CNR
value.
A. Fiber optic nonlinearities
The main fiber optic nonlinearities that affect the
performance of an optical link are: stimulated Brillouin
scattering (SBS), SRS, self phase modulation (SPM), XPM,
and the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect. SBS can be

minimized and there exists commercial transmitters that

minimize this effect at optical powers up to 20 dBm [3]. The
SRS, XPM and FWM effects produce crosstalk limiting the
number of wavelengths and the power delivery on the systems.
In a PON the main nonlinear effects are SRS and XPM and
introduce interference in the SCM-WDM link [6].
The coupled nonlinear Schrdinger equation (NLSE) may
be employed to calculate the effect of the nonlinearities
between two wavelengths with electrical field envelops
A1 ( z, t ) and A2 ( z, t ) [14]:
2 A1
A1 1
+
A1 + i 2 1
= i 1 A1
z
2
2 t 2

+ 2 A2

)A g2

A1 A2 , (2)
2

where v is the group velocity.

The ASE power produced by the signal of the first
wavelength in a distributed Raman amplifier is calculated with
the following equation [12]:

dPASE
= 1 PASE + g1 P2 ( PASE + 2hvv Bo FT ) ,
dz

vv is the optical frequency,

Bo is the optical bandwidth and FT is a temperature
where h is the Plank constant,

dependent factor [12].

The ASE power of an EDFA amplifier is [10]:

A2 2
g
2 A2
2
2
2
+
A2 + i 22
= i 2 A2 + 2 A1 A2 2 A2 A1 , (3)
2
2 t 2
2
z

where is the attenuation coefficient, k is the k-order

dispersive coefficient, is the nonlinear coefficient and g is
the Raman gain coefficient.
In order to calculate the SRS and the XPM crosstalk, we
assume two wavelengths, the first transporting a continuous
wave (CW) and the other transporting a RF tone. Crosstalk is
defined as the ratio of the power of the RF signal induced on
the CW wavelength channel to the output power of the CW
wavelength when both wavelengths are CW.
B. Optical amplification
The optical gain and the ASE noise added by the amplifier
are the main performance parameters of the optical amplifiers.
The EDFA optical gain may be easily included in the
calculations.
For the distributed Raman amplifier case, the optical gain is
distributed along the optical fiber. We use the equivalent fiber
loss approach to include the Raman gain in the NLSE [10] and
to consider the effect of the Raman amplification over the
crosstalk due to nonlinearities. In this case, in the NLSE the
attenuation coefficient is replaced by the equivalent fiber
loss [10].
The following coupled equations may be employed to
calculate the Raman gain produced over the wavelength of
optical intensity I1 ( z , t ) , due to the optical power transferred
from the pump wavelength of optical intensity

(6)

I 2 ( z , t ) [14]:

dI1 1 dI1
+
= ( g1I 2 1 ) I1 ,
dz v1 dt

(4)

dI 2 1 dI 2
+
= ( g 2 I1 2 ) I 2 ,
dz v2 dt

(5)

PASE = hvv Fa GBo ,

(7)

where Fa is the figure noise of the EDFA and G is the

EDFA gain.
The ASE noise beats with the signal in the receiver,
generating the signal-spontaneous beat noise and the
spontaneous-spontaneous beat noise.
C. Nonlinear distortion and standard noise
The main nonlinear distortion source considered is the
clipping noise and this increases with the number of RF
channels and it depends on the modulation index employed
[15]. The carrier to nonlinear distortion ratio CNLD may be
calculated using the modified Salehs formula [15]:

CNLD = 2 (1 + 6 2 ) 3 exp(1 / 2 2 ) ,

(8)

where is the root-mean-squared (rms) overall optical

modulation index (OMI).
In the total standard noise calculation, relative intensity
noise (RIN), shot noise, thermal noise, and signal-spontaneous
beat noise are considered. The equations to describe these
noises are presented in Takachio [10].
IV.

PERFORMANCE OF NEXT GENERATION OPTICAL ACCESS

NETWORKS

In the optimization of a PON all the impairments must be

considered. The transport of video using SCM imposes a high
CNR requirement. The main nonlinear impairment in PON is
the SRS and XPM crosstalk in the optical carrier at 1550 nm
caused by the wavelength at 1490 nm. The maximum crosstalk
occurs at the lower SCM electrical frequency [8].
The optimal launch power at 1550 nm is obtained balancing
the required CNR and the fiber nonlinearities and it is
depending on the data bit rate at 1490 nm. The optimal launch
power is the minimal power required to satisfy the target CNR,
which depends on the video transmission modulation format.

Raman optical amplification may be employed to extent the

reach of the NG-OAN. The maximum Raman amplification
over 1550 nm is obtained when a pump laser at 1462 nm is
employed. This value is used in the simulations.
A. Optimizing PON
Fig. 2 shows the simulation results of the optimal optical
received power at 1550 nm for different target CNR values
considering 1.2 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps of data bit rate at 1490 nm.
We assume a PON with 20 km of standard fiber, 100 NTSC
(National Television System Committee) video channels with a
bandwidth of 6 MHz per channel, a split ratio equal to 16 and
an optical launch power of -2 dB at 1490 nm. In this case, the
optimal received power increase with the required CNR and
there exist a maximum CNR value depending on the bit rate
carried at 1490 nm. A higher CNR value is obtained increasing
the bit rate, coinciding with the results of Kim [7].

Optimal received power

[dBm]

1.2 Gbps

2.5 Gbps

-5

44

46

48

EPON:
split
ratio = 16; 1.2
Gbps at 1490
nm
GPON:
split
ratio = 32; 2.5
Gbps at 1490
nm

50

52

Modulation
format

AM-VSB
256-QAM

Optimal launch
power at 1550
(dBm)
EDFA

Raman

Raman
pump
at 1462
nm
(mW)

16.4

550

4.5 (Amplification
no required)

AM-VSB

17.5

800

256-QAM

7.5

4.8

50

AM-VSB

20.5

4.6

1100

256-QAM

10.5

4.9

300

The obtained results indicate that it is possible to use

Raman amplification instead EDFA, placing the pump laser in
the OLT, with a maximum pump power of 1100 mW for
GPON with 64 ONUs. The calculations include the effect of
the ASE noise and the effect of the crosstalk due to the fiber
optic nonlinearities.

-10
42

PON type

GPON:
split
ratio = 64; 2.5
Gbps at 1490
nm

15
10

TABLE I.
OPTIMAL LAUNCH OPTICAL POWER FOR SEVERAL TYPES OF
STANDARDIZED PON FOR EDFA AND DISTRIBUTED RAMAN AMPLIFICATION

54

Table 2 allows comparing EDFA and distributed Raman

amplification in standardized PON. Simulation results of ASE
noise and the SRS and XPM crosstalk are presented.

Target carrier to noise ratio [dB]

Figure 2. Optimal average received power in function of the target CNR
value. The data bit rates of 1.2 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps at 1490 nm were
considered.

TABLE II.
ASE NOISE AND NONLINEAR CROSSTALK FOR SEVERAL TYPES
OF PON FOR EDFA AND DISTRIBUTED RAMAN AMPLIFICATION

PON type

AM-VSB is used for analogical transmission and for digital

transmission 256-QAM is the most common alternative. The
required CNR value for AM-VSB is 48 dB and for 256-QAM
is 36 dB. EDFA and distributed Raman amplification may be
used to satisfy the CNR requirements for the video
transmission.
Table 1 presents the optimal launch power for several
standardized types of PON and two video modulation formats
employing EDFA and Raman amplification. A transmitter with
a maximum optical launch power of 5 dBm without optical
amplification is considered. For the Raman amplification case,
the downstream pumping scheme guarantees a passive optical
distribution network, locating the pump lasers in the OLT. The
value of the pump optical power at 1462 nm for Raman
amplification is included in Table 1.

EPON: 16 ONUs,
1.2 Gbps

GPON: 32 ONUs,
2.5 Gbps

GPON: 64 ONUs,
2.5 Gbps

Modulation
format

ASE (dB) / crosstalk (dB)

EDFA

Raman

AM-VSB

-90 / -50

-98 / -60

256-QAM

Amplification no required

AM-VSB

-88 / -52

-99 / -63

256-QAM

-98 / -55

-113 / -65

AM-VSB

-85 / -52

-99 / -63

256-QAM

-95 / -55

-107 / -65

The results allow concluding that the ASE and the crosstalk
are lower employing Raman amplification than EDFA.
B. Extending the reach of the optical access network
Optical amplifiers must be included in the local exchange
with the purpose to extent the reach of PON.

We present in Fig. 3 the requirements to employ distributed

Raman amplification to extend the reach of the OAN. The
optimum launch power at 1550 nm and the pump power at
1462 nm were calculated for 20, 50, 80 and 100 km of
backhaul fiber link. A split ratio equal to 64 and 2.5 Gbps are
considered in the simulations.
1800

1400

Pump power (mW)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The results were obtained under the project Modelamiento
de enlaces SCM-WDM en redes tipo PON sponsored by
COLCIENCIAS (www.colciencias.gov.co).

BI
Pp: 1650 mW
Pi: 4.7 dBm

1600

REFERENCES

BI
Pp = 1300 mW
Pi = 4.8 dBm

1200
1000

[1]

BI
Pp: 800 mW
Pi: 4.7 dBm

800
600
400

[2]

DS
Pp: 300 mW
Pi: 4.9 dBm

200
0

analog or digital format, supporting the requirements of the

future users and services.

20

40

[3]
[4]
60

80

100

120

Backhaul distance (km)

Figure 3. Raman amplification requirements for reach extend. DS:
downstream pumping, BI: bidirectional pumping, Pp: optical pump power at
1462 nm, Pi: optimum launch power at 1550 nm

V.

DISCUSION AND CONCLUSIONS

In this paper, we have presented results that allow the

optimization of the video distribution in a PON considering the
distortion, the noise and the fiber optic nonlinearities.
Simulation results of the optimal optical received power at
1550 nm for different standardized PON were presented. In this
case, the optimal received power increase with the required
CNR and there exist a maximum CNR value that increase with
the bit rate carried at 1490 nm.
We demonstrated employing simulations that the
distributed Raman amplification may replace EDFA for the
video distribution in a PON. This approach guarantees a
passive optical distribution network, locating the pump lasers
in the OLT. In this case the power of ASE noise and the
nonlinearities crosstalk are lower in distributed Raman
amplification.
Distributed Raman amplification may extend the reach of
the backhaul link obtaining lengths of 50, 80 and 100 km,
locating pump lasers in the core and local exchanges.
The employment of Raman amplification allows gradually
increasing the OAN length for the distribution of video in

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[7]

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[9]

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