The IST-GIANT Project (GIgapon Access NeTwork)

It is expected that the requirements for access networks will change in the future due to the increase in bandwidth demand, due to the shift to packet based services and due to the drive to implement a full service network. Optical access networks are a logical implementation of these requirements. Of all the access infrastructure available, optical fiber has the largest bandwidth potential. In order to mitigate the network costs, an infrastructure whereby fiber is shared amongst users is clearly attractive. Many people in the industry believe PON (Passive Optical Network) technology will create practical implementation architectures for future access networks. PON was standardized by the ITU-T in 1998 under recommendation G.983. The bandwidth of the standardized solution is limited to 622 Mbit/s (shared over all users) and it is ATM based, which is excellent to satisfy existing demands (including QoS requirements). To fulfill the future access network demand there is a need for higher bitrate PON systems, probably that are more packet oriented (see Figure 1). This is the subject of the new project GIANT. A novel access network based on a Passive Optical Network architecture at Gbit/s bitrate and packet oriented is being developed in the frame of a European IST Project (Fifth Framework Program for Information Society Technologies). This paper describes the motivation for the project GIANT (GigaPON Access Network), the targeted innovations and the necessary tasks to reach the final goal: a service demonstrator working at Gbit/s speed.