Cable TV networks and FTTx

U.K.P. Mihiranga (MBA in MOT, B.Sc. Eng.

(Hons), PMP-PMI(USA), AMIESL)
Cable TV networks
The cable TV network started as a video service provider, but it has been
moved to the business of Internet access
Traditional Cable Networks
Cable TV started to distribute broadcast video signals to locations with
poor or no reception in the late 1940s
It was called Community Antenna TV (CATV) because an antenna at the
top of a tall hill or building received the signals from the TV stations
Then it is distributed them via coaxial cables to the community
Traditional cable TV network

The cable TV office, called

the head end, receives video
signals from broadcasting
stations and feeds the signals
into coaxial cables
The signals became weaker
and weaker with distance, so
amplifiers were installed
through the network to
renew the signals
Cable TV operation
There could be up to 35 amplifiers between the head end and the
subscriber premises
At the other end, splitters split the cable, and taps and drop cables make
the connections to the subscriber premises
The traditional cable TV system used coaxial cable end to end
Due to attenuation of the signals and the use of a large number of
amplifiers, communication in the traditional network was unidirectional
(one-way)
Video signals were transmitted downstream, from the head end to the
subscriber premises
 Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) Network
The second generation of cable
networks is called a hybrid fiber-
coaxial (HFC) network
The network uses a combination of
fiber-optic and coaxial cable
The transmission medium from the
cable TV office to a box, called the
fiber node, is optical fiber
From the fiber node through the
neighborhood and into the house is
still coaxial cable
Hybrid operation
The regional cable head (RCH) normally serves up to 400,000 subscribers
The RCHs feed the distribution hubs, each of which serves up to 40,000
subscribers
Modulation and distribution of signals are done in the distribution hub
The signals are then fed to the fiber nodes through fiber-optic cables
The fiber node splits the analog signals so that the same signal is sent to
each coaxial cable
Each coaxial cable serves up to 1000 subscribers
Use of fiber-optic cable reduces the need for amplifiers down to eight or
less
One reason for moving from traditional to hybrid infrastructure is to
make the cable network bidirectional (two-way)
Cable TV for data transfer
Cable companies are now competing with telephone companies for
the residential customer who wants high-speed data transfer
DSL technology provides high-data-rate connections for residential
subscribers over the local loop
However, DSL uses the existing unshielded twisted-pair cable, which
is very susceptible to interference
This imposes an upper limit on the data rate
Another solution is the use of the cable TV network
 Bandwidth
Even in an HFC system, the last part of the network, from the fiber node to
the subscriber premises, is still a coaxial cable
This coaxial cable has a bandwidth that ranges from 5 to 750 MHz
(approximately)
To provide Internet access, the cable company has divided this bandwidth
into three bands: video, downstream data, and upstream data,
Downstream Video Band
The downstream video band occupies frequencies from 54 to 550 MHz
Since each TV channel occupies 6 MHz, this can accommodate more
than 80 channels

Downstream Data Band

The downstream data (from the Internet to the subscriber premises)
occupies the upper band, from 550 to 750 MHz
This band is also divided into 6-MHz channels
Downstream Data Band
Modulation: Downstream data band uses the 64-QAM (or possibly 256-
QAM) modulation technique
Data Rate: There is 6 bits/baud in 64-QAM. One bit is used for forward
error correction; this leaves 5 bits of data per baud
The standard specifies 1 Hz for each baud; this means that, theoretically,
downstream data can be received at 30 Mbps (5 bits/1Hz x 6 MHz)
The standard specifies only 27 Mbps
However, since the cable modem is normally connected to the computer
through a IOBase-T cable this limits the data rate to 10 Mbps
Upstream Data Band
The upstream data (from the subscriber premises to the Internet)
occupies the lower band, from 5 to 42 MHz
This band is also divided into 6-MHz channels
Modulation: The upstream data band uses lower frequencies that are
more susceptible to noise and interference
For this reason, the QAM technique is not suitable for this band and the
better solution is QPSK
Data Rate: There are 2 bits/baud in QPSK. The standard specifies 1 Hz for
each baud; this means that, theoretically, upstream data can be sent at 12
Mbps (2 bits/1Hz x 6 MHz)
However, the data rate is usually less than 12 Mbps
Upstream Sharing
The upstream data bandwidth is 37 MHz where only six 6-MHz
channels available in the upstream direction
A subscriber needs to use one channel to send data in the upstream
direction
If so How can six channels be shared in an area with 1000 subscribers?
The solution is timesharing
The band is divided into channels using FDM
These channels must be shared between subscribers in the same
neighborhood
Upstream Sharing (Cont’d)

The cable provider allocates one channel, statically or dynamically, for

a group of subscribers
If one subscriber wants to send data, she or he contends for the
channel with others who want access
the subscriber must wait until the channel is available
Downstream Sharing
The downstream band has 33 channels of 6 MHz
A cable provider probably has more than 33 subscribers; therefore,
each channel must be shared between a group of subscribers
However, the situation is different for the downstream direction;
here we have a multicasting situation.
If there are data for any of the subscribers in the group, the data are
sent to that channel
Downstream Sharing (Cont’d)
Each subscriber is received the data
But since each subscriber also has an address registered with
the provider
The cable modem for the group matches the address carried
with the data to the address assigned by the provider
If the address matches, the data are kept; otherwise, they are
discarded
Cable Modem (CM)
CM is installed on the subscriber premises
It is similar to an ADSL modem
Cable Modem Transmission System (CMTS)
CMTS is installed inside the distribution hub by the cable company
It receives data from the Internet and passes them to the combiner, which
sends them to the subscriber
The CMTS also receives data from the subscriber and passes them to the
Internet
 Optical networks in Broadband
Requirements such as high bandwidth and capacity for high speed
internet, High Definition Television “HDTV” and Voice Over Internet
Protocol “VOIP”, lead to the proposals for FTTx access network
FTTx based on Giga Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology is
one techniques that can provide triple play services (Internet, Voice
and Video) at a reasonable cost
It uses only passive equipment except at the central office and the
customer premises
Most telecom operators now use FTTx networks based on GPON
due to its flexibility in handling extended technologies and services
in the future
Passive Optical Networks
Broadband access wireline networks supply and promise bandwidth to
users' premises
A Passive Optical Networks (PON) permits user’s premises to attach to
broadband networks using fiber through a superior bandwidth up to
1 ​Gb/s
Compared with copper, fiber has nearly infinite bandwidth
Optical fiber is progressively applied in access networks in place of copper
which dramatically decreases Operating Expenses while increasing
network’s performances
 Overview of PON
ONT  Optical Distribution Network
(ODN) consists of fiber distribution
OLT
boxes, optical power splitters, etc.
ONU
 PON deliver or aggregates the
signal for each Optical Network
Unit (ONU) & Optical Network
Terminal(ONT) through power
splitters
 Optical Line Terminal (OLT), which is generally placed in the central office of
operators, an ODN and ONUs/ONTs at the user ends
 At the OLT, voice and data services are incorporated and transmitted above
1490-nm in the downstream, whereas 1310 ​nm is transferred for the
upstream
FTTx network
PON technology for supplying broadband connectivity in access network
to small businesses commonly, multiple-occupancy units and homes is
named fiber-to-the-x
This application stands for the designation FTTx where x is a letter
indicating how close the fiber endpoint comes to the actual user

OLT
FTTx
Fiber To The Business (FTTB): Deployment of optical fiber directly from a
central office switch toward an enterprise;
Fiber To The Curb (FTTC): Optical fiber cables from central office equipment
to a communication switch located within 1000 ​ft. (about 300 ​m) of an
enterprise or a home;
Fiber To The Home (FTTH): Deployment of optical fiber directly from a
central office switch toward a home
Fiber To The Neighborhood (FTTN): PON architecture in which, optical fiber
cables extend to within 3000 ​ft.
Fiber To The Office FTTO: is similar to FTTB in which an optical path is
supplied all the way to a business customer’s premises
Optical Distribution Network
FTTH

FTTC

FTTN
The End