The spread of optical access broadband networks using Fiber to the Home (FTTH) has not reached the rural areas of developing countries. The current state of global deployment of ICT indicates that it is difficult to sell network systems as stand-alone products due to prohibitive costs, and the demand is for total services that include construction, maintenance, and operation. Moreover, there is a need to offer proposals that include various solutions utilizing broadband networks, as well as for a business model that takes the sustainability of those solutions into consideration. In this paper, we discuss the issues in constructing broadband networks, introduce case studies of solutions using broadband networks for solving social issues in rural areas of developing countries, and discuss the challenges in the deployment of the solutions.

We have already proposed a Gigabit Ethernet-Optical Switched Access Network (GE-OSAN) architecture that realizes longer transmission distances and achieves higher security than the conventional Passive Optical Network (PON). To confirm the technical feasibility of the architecture, we introduce here a GE-OSAN prototype system for downstream transmission. We present the Optical Switching Module (OSM), which uses (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 (PLZT) optical packet switches, and show that it realizes switching within 10 ns of the designed position in the Inter-Frame Gap (IFG). We also introduce an Optical Network Unit (ONU) with optical burst receiver that uses off-the-shelf commercial devices to reduce its cost; two types of an optical to electrical signal (O/E) converter are implemented for performance comparison. After testing both of them, we select the one that satisfies our acquisition time requirement of 64 ns.

This paper describes international standardization activities on B-PON, GE-PON, and G-PON. This paper explains their distinctive technologies, and compares them from the technical view. This paper also mentions future PON standards which are discussed in some standardization bodies.

This paper introduces the design of an Optical Switching Module (OSM) for our newly proposed Gigabit Ethernet Optical Switched Access Network (GE-OSAN) architecture that uses the Multi-Point Control Protocol (MPCP), defined in IEEE 802.3ah. We outline the GE-OSAN architecture to clarify OSM's role in the network. We offer an OSM configuration that has the basic functions needed to realize downstream and upstream high-speed data services in GE-OSAN. We clarify the OSM optical switching time that allows GE-OSAN to achieve the same throughput as GE-PON. Our survey of currently available optical switches identifies the optical packet switches that can meet this switching time requirement. We evaluate OSM insertion loss with these switches. We propose an OSM configuration that has a regeneration function as well as the basic ones to realize wider network configurations that can lead to a reduction in overall system costs. In addition, we present OSM configurations that have broadcast and multicast functions as well as the basic ones so that GE-OSAN can support broadcast and multicast video services to equal and exceed GE-PON.

A significant growth in FTTH access rates has been seen in the last year. This paper overviews the deployed FTTH access systems and the recent application of Ethernet technologies. The standardization activities and further study issues are also discussed.