Quality of service in two-stage Ethernet passive optical access networks

Abstract

Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs) have emerged as a well accepted candidate for next-generation access networks. Propelled by rapid price declines in fiber optics and Ethernet components, these new EPON architectures combine the latest in optical and electronic advances, and are poised to become the dominant means of delivering bundled services over a single platform. This paper proposes a novel EPON architecture capable of delivering bandwidth-intensive voice, data video services at distances beyond 25 km in the subscriber access network. Specifically, this paper proposes a two-stage EPON architecture that allows more end-users to share an OLT link, and enables longer access reach/distances (beyond the usual 25 km distance). In addition, a new dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) algorithm is proposed to effectively and fairly allocate bandwidths between end users. This DBA algorithm can support differentiated services in a network with heterogeneous traffic. We conduct detailed simulation experiments to study the performance and validate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture and algorithms