By Adam Soccorsy, Technetix; Luc Absillis Ph. D, First Principles Innovation
Advances in semiconductor technology and the relentless progression of Moore’s Law have enabled ever more capable smart devices in every aspect of our lives. Chips enabling network functions to be miniaturized and compressed into pluggable devices are encouraging innovation in the access network space. Being able to move a single optical line terminal port (OLT) out of its normal position inside a rackmount chassis and place it in a small, hardened node enclosure on a telephone pole, or other remote exterior mounting, is a new concept that was not possible a few years ago. These same advances in semiconductor technology have also benefitted other network construction types such as Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). Multiple vendors have launched remote OLT (rOLT) products with new dimensions of price and capability that take advantage of the new lower power, higher capability chips. This paper uses the generic dimensions of a synthetic remote OLT and combines them with several computer models that utilize geographic information system (GIS) software to assess the overall impact of constructing greenfield fiber connectivity projects in the United States with remote OLT technology.