{"id":2509,"date":"2014-08-25T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T07:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.abrahamsconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=2509"},"modified":"2014-08-25T11:24:18","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T11:24:18","slug":"passive-optical-network-works-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abrahamsconsulting.com\/blog\/passive-optical-network-works-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Passive Optical Network: How It Works (II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our series continues with a focus on the benefits of the Passive Optical Network.\"Passive<\/a><\/p>\n

Our last post\u00a0 <\/a>highlighted tremendous savings in capital expenditure.<\/p>\n

Savings. The fruit of its design.<\/p>\n

But what about operational costs?<\/p>\n

The Passive Optical Network is the gift that keeps on giving.<\/p>\n

Network managers are smart.<\/p>\n

Scores are impressed with the savings in capital expenditures. However, at the intersection of clarity and understanding, there\u00a0are reasons to pause.<\/p>\n

They pause because of the savings in their operational cost—their total cost of ownership (TCO)\u00a0.<\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n
TCO and the Passive Optical Network<\/h5>\n

The passive optical network’s carrier class design reduces the TCO dramatically. It eliminates the need to\u00a0\u00a0replace expensive Ethernet LAN switches every 5 to 7 years.<\/p>\n

A technology refresh often requires new switches. New switches require new cabling infrastructure. Largely because, newer switches operate at faster speeds. And most installed cabling cannot support them.<\/p>\n

Additionally, a\u00a0 technology refresh involves numerous tasks including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Engineering for the new network design<\/li>\n
  2. Site surveys<\/li>\n
  3. Bid generation, review and award<\/li>\n
  4. contract negotiations<\/li>\n
  5. CapEx investments in significant platform upgrades or change-outs<\/li>\n
  6. Time and labor costs for installation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Network managers pause and then they take a deep breath. <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Not only is replacing the LAN cabling a recurring, massive and expensive undertaking. Each time an organization replaces its Category N cabling with Category N+ 1 cabling, it basically trades one bandwidth-limited media for another.<\/p>\n

    According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards, Cat5 cabling supports 100 MBps, Cat6 supports 1 Gbps over 30 meters, and Cat 6A extends that to 100 meters.<\/p>\n

    Limitations on speed and distance are decreasing, but they have not disappeared.<\/p>\n

    And then, they exhale<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Fiber, by contrast, can deliver practically unlimited bandwidth–more than 50 Tbps at a distance of up 30 kilometers. Hence\u00a0 distance limitations are no longer a consideration.<\/p>\n

    So why continue replacing copper when an enterprise can install fiber once and never have to replace it again?<\/p>\n

    The Big Picture<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When organizations replace\u00a0legacy LANs with optical LANs based on Gigabit Passive Optical Network and packet optical\u00a0 transport technology, they can easily:<\/p>\n