UTEL launching proactive PON management system at ECOC

SUFFOLK, UK: UTEL, Europe's leading independent research and development company for telecommunications systems, has developed a new complete fibre network management system based on its world-leading Fast Light technology. The new system will be launched next month at ECOC 2013.

Fast Light, the foundation of the new Operational Support System (OSS) from UTEL, was first launched last year and is a central office OTDR fibre test system that can reliably detect ONT reflections through 128 split PONs without expensive wavelength dependent reflectors. This measurement capability is possible because of UTEL's revolutionary Advanced Reflection Detection (ARD) technology which sets a new global benchmark for OTDR performance.

"We have had the technology to change fibre business models in place for more than a year but now realise that what service providers are looking for is a complete solution. We have now finished and what we have is something more advanced than anything else on the market. It can find faults before customers detect them and makes sure the entire network is running at optimal levels with fewer expert engineers," said Frank Kaufhold, MD of UTEL.

The UTEL Fast Light PON management system consists of three key subsystems including a unique world class 1650nm OTDR that can see through multiple cascaded splitters, an ultra low cost Robotic Optical Test Access Switch that can be flexibly expanded as the network grows and an optional OSS or Application Programming Interface.

"Passive Optical Networks are not just another transitional Broadband technology like VDSL, but are the foundation for a new telecommunication world order. Getting it right is essential. The early incorporation of automated fibre integrity monitoring systems will not only provide dramatic savings during fibre network rollout but will enable operators to meet customer repair process expectations at minimal cost," added Kaufhold.

In service, the new complete Fast Light PON management system will eliminate the conventional manual fault finding processes along with the skilled technicians, the truck roles and the costly handheld OTDRs that were previously required to fault PONs.