New Generations of PON
Passive Optical Networks

A new ultra-high-speed system was standardized in 2022, offering 50 Gbit/s bidirectionally, as well as upstream rates of 12.5 Gbit/s and 25 Gbit/s. This is 50G-PON, also known as “High Speed PON.” HS-PON is the generation that enables the transmission of signals in NRZ mode and with direct detection at 50 Gbit/s. This system addresses residential and business use cases with higher bandwidth requirements—particularly 4K or 8K video services—and anticipates business needs for bandwidth-intensive file transfers. In addition, the links to 5G or 6G base stations—known as mobile fronthaul—will require technological advancements to handle the higher data rates of these standards.

The physical layer of HS-PON is the same as that of...