Investigation of Colorless WDM-PON Using a Broadband ASE-Source

The use of fiber optic solutions increases every year in access networks to enlarge the bandwidth for each user. However, FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) networks and time division access that they use have technological limitations. WDM-PON technology is the best solution to satisfy future demand for the increasing of bandwidth. This paper contains an overview of investigation of 4,8 and 16-channel system based on the use of the spectrally-sliced ASE-source and an external modulation. The realizations with AWG-multiplexer and thin-film filters at different bit rates are also considered in this paper. The investigation of the system characteristics and their conformance to the requirements of standards and real networks is executed using OptSim simulation software. As a result of the investigation, several potential physical issues that can arise during maintenance of a real system are defined, recommendations are given to solve these issues