Comparison of transport network technologies for IPTV distribution

The delivery of video services is generally considered a critical and perhaps the most difficult problem for telecommunications service providers to solve to achieve the “triple-play” of video, data, and voice. Transport of a mix of video, high-speed data, and voice — which is vital to maintain a competitive position against cable multiple systems operators (MSOs) — requires new solutions. Gigabit Ethernet interfaces can offer better network economics when combined with reliable synchronous optical network (SONET), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), and/or fiber transport infrastructure. Here, we compare these transport technologies and present case study results. The case study includes broadcast as well as unicast traffic; SONET drop and continue or Ethernet multicast; a core network to connect super and regional headends/central offices, and an access network to connect regional headends/central offices to serving area locations. In this paper, we demonstrate that next-generation SONET can provide a balanced approach considering network economics and reliability.