The quick spread of GE-PON has led to the rapid introduction of FTTH. Based on continuing growth in communications traffic, 10 Gbps PON systems are currently being developed to expand the bandwidth of FTTH communications. However, higher communication speeds increase power consumption. Projections for higher energy consumption by communication devices have prompted a search for ways to cut power consumption.

OKI (News - Alert), telecommunications manufacturer in Japan, has developed Bandwidth Allocation Control Technology to enable OLT drive control for next-generation optical access systems. This technology controls the number of OLT drive units in response to traffic conditions and ensures efficient bandwidth allocation by varying the number of OLT drive units. In addition to dramatically increasing OLT bandwidth efficiency, the technology allows OLTs to sleep when traffic is low, cutting power consumption to a great extent.

"OKI developed its OLT drive control technology as part of this research program. The Bandwidth Allocation Control Technology developed by OKI is technology that will advance OLT drive control technologies, allowing OLT drive control units to vary the number of operating OLT drive units and thereby responding to bandwidth shortages by adjusting upper bandwidth limits in response to bandwidth volume fluctuations generated by user demand," Takeshi Kamijoh, general manager of Research and Development Center at OKI," said in a statement.

OKI has worked since 2009 as part of the "Research and development of wide area optical access networks" project commissioned by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. OKI has also sought to develop virtual PONs that would permit flexible configuration of connections between an OLT of central office and user ONUs, thereby ensuring an immediate and practical application of the research technology.

Varying the numbers of OLT drive units will result in significantly more efficient use of bandwidth. Verification testing has shown the system can cut bandwidth shortages by roughly one-fifth and power consumption by roughly 30 percent.

OKI said the company will strive to commercialize this technology, including efforts to extend the technology to multi-channel bandwidth control and deployment to software defined networks.

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