Verizon has begin lab testing of NG-PON2 technology — ‘next-generation passive optical network,’ — (see this detailed 32-page PDF for more information) which follows more information that it had successfully completed field testing of the technology.

The company says this technology allows it "to easily increase system capacity by adding wavelengths to meet the demand for traffic drivers such as ultra high definition video, virtual reality applications and cloud services".

After all, by implementing this advanced technology without having to change the current underlying fibre optic infrastructure, additional traffic can be carried cost effectively – something any telco would appreciate.

In additional, Verizon says it can also "improve flexibility and resiliency using NG-PON2, because traffic can be shifted amongst multiple wavelengths without impacting customers".

The company said it is advancing "toward implementing new technology on its fibre optic infrastructure", having "reached a critical juncture in its RFP (Request For Proposals) process by tapping two companies to begin testing NG-PON2 equipment in Verizon's Innovation Lab in Waltham, Mass".

Starting this month, Verizon says it will begin "initial testing with equipment from Ericsson (in partnership with Calix) and ADTRAN. Testing will focus on several features of NG-PON2, including tuning performance, ability to carry residential and business services on the same platform, and interoperability and conformance testing to meet Verizon ONT specifications".

Vincent O'Byrne, Ph.D., director of network planning for Verizon, said: ”When it comes to NG-PON2, ADTRAN and Ericsson/Calix have developed new designs and some novel, yet different, approaches that put them at the forefront of the industry.”

The company says it is "assessing this next-generation technology to provide increased speeds and functionality to customers on its Fios network".

It also notes that "NG-PON2 technology supports up to 40Gbit of total capacity and up to 10Gbit speeds per customer, both upstream and downstream, over a single fibre – a tenfold increase over some of the current speeds in the industry. Using NG-PON2 technology, the company plans to initially deploy a number of business services in 2017, followed by residential services as the technology matures and the market demands".

Last year the ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standardisation Sector) approved NG-PON2 specifications, paving the way to establish NG-PON2 as the next step in PON technology – an ultra detailed 250-page PDF can be downloaded here.