Written by Tim Brophy, Product Manager Cable Access Business Unit
In a recent blog, we discussed Fiber Deep (FD) architectures and their place in the end-to-endnetwork. We emphasized there that the physical topology is geared toward balancing the number of subscribers per service group, and that the capacity of each service group increases by the reduced number of subscribers served. Today, we want to explore the benefits of FD that illustrate the importance of the centrally located FD Node.
As we said, the physical location of the FD node creates RF node ports that serve approximately the same number of subscribers, but it also links the past and the future of the architectures. By this we mean that it leverages the existing HFC plant topology (the past) and prepares it for many more years of profitable service deployments (future). Operators and subscribers alike get multiple benefits from the centrally located smaller serving area of the FD node. The particular value depends on the details of deployments and service offerings, but all benefit from a reduction in failure group size and the reliability improvements associated with fewer active elements in the plant. The reduction in users sharing a common node does imply smaller statistical multiplexing gains, but this is more than offset by the increased cumulative capacity to which each user has access. The net result is an improved customer experience, reduced churn and improved competitive offerings.
We detail here some additional specific benefits:
The above benefits show the importance of the fiber deep node not only as hardware element itself, but also as an architectural element with topological significance. The well-chosen architectural location optimizes connectivity, powering, and anticipates future growth. The advantages are extended even further when the tie between fiber deep architectures and remote PHY is established. We'll detail that in future blog, but in the meantime, consider the powerful combination of the above benefits with the watershed event defined by a move to an R-PHY node. This node is not just the end of a digital fiber link, but is established as a Network Element, replete with IP stack, signal grooming and new, intelligent methods of control, monitoring, and signal processing. As always, your Cisco account rep stands ready to help find the solution that works best foryour network.