Impact of protection strategies on the cost of next generation hybrid PON access networks

Network operators are evaluating different alternatives to increase the capacity of their access networks as well as increasing reach and fanout. Hybrid Passive Optical Networks (HPONs) have been depicted as one of the best solutions in terms of cost and migration effort. The foreseen combination of homogeneous terminals (e.g. home users, base stations) requires also offering protection in access networks. This paper compares different protection strategies of HPONs and the impact they have on the total cost.