Increasing Demands Driving Markets
4. January 2024
6 Min read
Meeting demand for ever-higher bandwidth
Operators will keep upgrading existing networks (from FTTN, DSL, and other older technologies). A push towards resilient, extensive broadband continues to drive underground deployment. High fiber count micro blow-in cables can reduce costs and deployment time in urban regions as duct systems can accommodate additional fibers without new construction work. Fiber cables with sensing technology allow monitoring of infrastructure health, detecting breaks, and providing data on environmental conditions, thus greatly improving maintenance and response times.
Fiber is needed urgently in underserved areas, but often expansion is not economically viable. Aerial deployment is an attractive – often the only – option for realizing fast and cost-effective remote rollouts. Using existing pole infrastructure avoids burying cables and creating new ducts. Aerial cables can be installed rapidly and easily, using familiar hardware and practices, which keeps down deployment costs. The use of pre-terminated cable reduces the need for staff training and experience and investments in on-site splicing and testing equipment. In harsh environments, reliable outdoor fiber connectivity is key to realizing this.
The uptake of smaller diameter cables with 180/200 µm fibers as well as blow-in technologies is increasing, enabling cost-effective, scalable, future-proof, and faster rollouts. This is vital in applications where speed demands keep growing, and multiple services are provided over one fiber, as well as for Smart City and Smart Building infrastructure. 5G rollout works in tandem with FTTH – a strong fiber backbone is required to support high data rates and low latency.
A closer look at Local Area Networks
The need for faster, more reliable wireless connections will drive the adoption of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. The Software Defined Network (SDN) approach will continue to gain ground as it can efficiently manage and orchestrate network resources such as bandwidth, servers, and switches in dynamic LAN environments. The convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) is expected to accelerate, along with the uptake of Power over Ethernet (PoE), IoT devices, and edge facilities.
A unified «holistic fiber» backbone, merging data and building control, is becoming increasingly widespread. LAN convergence is largely driven by the need to simplify complexity, improve efficiency, and reduce costs while enhancing uniformity, functionality, and flexibility. Centralizing IT resource management provides enormous technical and business efficiency increases by consolidating systems, boosting resource utilization rates, saving energy, lowering costs, and making the most of system intelligence.
The uptake of an «All-IP» approach is extending the data network and PoE through a building’s ceiling, making it possible to connect devices to building automation via pre-installed overhead points. Instead of separate networks for telephony, data, video, and building automation, there’s just one network to manage. This can reduce the cost and complexity of the physical cabling infrastructure and network management tasks. All building technology and management devices can communicate in the same way, without barriers, over Ethernet/Internet Protocol (Ethernet/IP), with the LAN providing the basis for physical communication. Internet, Cloud, and Smart Grid can be integrated in the background. LAN-enabled IoT can help monitor and manage energy usage to reduce carbon output without impacting comfort or quality of living.
SPE expands the LAN
The uptake of Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) cabling based on xBASE-T1 using a single twisted pair for data transmission should keep growing. SPE enables the integration of field devices, sensors, and actuators into Ethernet environments, without extra gateways and interfaces. SPE is well-suited for industrial environments as it supports long cable runs (up to 1,000 m) and delivers power and data over a single pair of wires. This simplifies cabling requirements and reduces installation costs. SPE can transmit up to 50 W along with data and control signals (Power over Data Line or PoDL) – ideal for the Industrial Internet of Things. It can support converged data, voice, and video networks over a single network infrastructure. SPE can power and network environmental monitoring devices, such as air quality sensors and thermostats.
Soon, SPE may play a prominent role in industrial and building automation scenarios and remote or centralized building management. As LAN bandwidth, power, and length performance demands grow due to the requirements of 10 to 40 Gigabit/s, PoE, and comprehensive Ethernet/IP coverage, SPE can supplement existing cabling but can’t always replace RJ45 technology. Informed decisions are required.
Smart City and Building deployments
FTTH networks may see greater integration with Smart City and Smart Home infrastructure, supporting an array of IoT devices. Increasing convergence will deliver important synergy gains. Smart City infrastructure, with countless IP-equipped devices that need extremely low latency, is an increasingly significant driver. Powerful fiber networks are needed to support 5G, IoT, and more. 5G and anticipated 6G networks use higher-frequency bands to achieve multi-Gb speeds and low-latency communications. However, they have a shorter range and are less effective at penetrating obstacles. To address this, a combination of 4G and 5G small cell networks (indoor and outdoor) and macro cells is required. This opens up a vast range of Smart City functions: autonomous traffic, eMobility, vehicle charging, surveillance, street lighting…
The single-fiber backbone
We think that data, mobile, video, and other networks will merge into a single combined fiber backbone network in the coming years. Benefits include reduced rollout and maintenance investments, phasing out of legacy technologies, and unified underlying technology and interfacing.
Network operators and users can focus on their core business and develop applications that exactly match requirements, interact across systems and platforms, and are always up to date. That means we need to stop thinking in discrete networks and devices but instead define functions and integrate hardware and software. That requires attention to:
- Interoperability
- Integration
- Standards (observing possible constraints caused by competing standards)
- Monitoring (which can be done from a single dashboard)
- Optimization (constantly managing the functions and bandwidth requirements of different services across many device types)