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By Manzoor Ali, Managing director KSA at R&M Middle East & Africa
The majority of the fixed telecom operators are talking about Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) or Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON) technologies to cater to the increasing demand for broadband. But in the region GPON is the technology widely accepted and followed.
For these systems the network performance not only depends on active equipments, but it is equally important to have quality passive components from central office to the customer end. Here come the challenges, as Passive Optical Network technology is relatively new and doesn't have the same amount of history as traditional copper network. But now technologies demand for fibre on the access network side also, which could be FTTB (Fibre to the Building) or FTTB (Fibre to the Home). The design may look simple, easy components comparing to ADSL or VDSL network as there is no active element in between the connectivity from central office.
There is no problem providing a power supply or any other active transmission equipment in the street cabinet. The challenge here is to have high quality passive components and precision in the specification in order to have a reliable telecom network. This network is going to handle voice, video and data, through with one can operate IPTV, video on demand etc. Upstream and downstream both are important and hence the physical layer should be of a very good quality.
The driving force behind the adoption of FTTH technologies in the region is the growing demand for high speed connection in both upstream and downstream. Traditional copper cabling systems, such as ADSL or VDSL where the transport layer was copper backbone and access, had its challenges of providing high speed reliable network to a demanding customer. When it comes to a new telecom operator, or an existing telecom operator who would like to invest for the future, it is cost-effective for them to invest in Fibre backbone and access network.
This opens up the way to a number of new applications and new services such as online backup, call centres, e-health etc. With the widespread proliferation of such networks, the number of possibilities is sure to grow. HD and 3D video services, market competition for higher bandwidth offering, lower maintenance and operation costs and new generation mobile network backhaul are among the main enablers in driving this technology forward.
New telco operators drive rapid Middle East growth
A look at the telecom sector in the Middle East region reveals that the main factor for the rapid growth of the industry is the entry of new telecom operators into the market as a result of privatisation policy. The situation of this region is totally different from those in the European markets. Telecom Privatisation policy is shaking up the industry and putting pressure on incumbent telecom operators who were previously enjoying a monopoly. Very few of them were meeting the growing demands of customers.
The existing operators continue to utilise and build upon their existing copper based networks while the new licensed operators are keen on rapid deployment to speed up their time to market. In both scenarios, success depends on the expertise of the vendors who can deliver the systems and solutions that meet each operator's requirements.
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