There is no doubt that Verizon’s FiOS fiber optic network is already delivering amazing data speeds to customers, but Verizon is looking to take its high-tech fiber optic network to the next level by confirming that they will be the first carrier to test out a new fiber optic system called XG-PON. While the name XG-PON might sound like a video game or pop music group, the technology is nothing short of impressive and certainly lends credence to Verizon’s claims that fiber optics are the future.
Theory vs Practice
Theoretical speeds of the new system are reported to be approximately 4 times faster downstream and double the upstream speeds. The big question is: what will these improvements mean for the end user? After all, there is often a big difference between theory and practice. Verizon’s director of technology, Dr. Vincent O’Byrne, is quick to point out that the technology is only in its validation stages at this point, not in pre-deployment testing.
Tests = Mind Blowingly Fast
While a definitive answer to that question will have to wait until Verizon has deploys the service officially, tests conducted in a controlled environment seem to indicate that the difference between theory and practice may be very slim in the case of Verizon’s next-generation FiOS network. A test home in Waltham, Massachuesetts has reportedly measured a full 10 Gbps downstream and 2.5 Gbps upstream. Customers will have to wait until the middle of 2010 to see for themselves how fast the new FiOS system truly is, but it would seem to be a safe bet that anything faster than today’s FiOS service will be mind-blowingly fast. While speed may offer many benefits, Verizon may also use the extra bandwidth to service more customers without adding significantly to its projected infrastructure and deployment plans.
Benefits to the Customer
There are other aspects to the XG-PON technology that benefit consumers as well, and understanding these benefits can help consumers make better purchasing decisions. Fiber optical cabling allows for easy upgrades between different centers without replacement of the actual cables. This means that for data to be sped up, the optical signal must use shorter bursts and/or multiple wavelengths, both of which are part of the XG-PON standard that is still being finalized. The use of multiple wavelengths allows the existing fiber optical networking to continue to supply data to existing FiOS customers, while allowing both new and existing customers to upgrade to new standards as they emerge. The net result is that fiber optical networks can be upgraded more frequently, and often at lower cost than networks that rely on metal wires to carry signals.
Multiple Wave Length Technology
Multiple wavelength technology also offers a glimpse into the future, and the XG-PON technology can be seen not only as interesting in its own right, but also as a glimpse of things to come. If Verizon is able to quadruple its network downstream and double its network upstream every three or so years without replacing untold miles of fiber optical cabling, then consumers may benefit in may ways.
Upgraded networks allow for carriers such as Verizon to service more consumers, offer better/more data-related services to their customers, or both.
Long Term Results
The long-term result is likely to be a combination of better pricing and an enhanced feature set, though Verizon has made no official announcements in either of these regards. Verizon has added numerous features to its FiOS offerings over the years, and the network itself has come a long way since its early 2004 deployment. At that time the Verizon fiber optical network only offered 622 Mbps of downstream, which is a far cry from the 2.5 Mbps that the vast majority of the Verizon fiber optical network uses at the time of this writing. While these figures are related to the network itself, the consumers of Verizon’s FiOS plans have seen new features, better prices, and faster connections as a result, so it certainly is not far fetched to suggest that a 10 Gbps backbone could produce similar results.
If Verizon’s FiOS system continues to push speed boundaries at the same rate it has been since its inception, it may cause other carriers to look into fiber or other ways to improve their own offerings. In that sense, anyone interested in digital television, broadband, and digital telephone systems should be waiting to with baited breath to see what Verizon does with their new 10 Gbps backbone.
