No power
One fiber serves many homes or businesses
Central
Office
Splitter
Virtually unlimited bandwidth potential
32 homes or
12 businesses
WDM carries multiple signals over one fiber
WDM
mux
Broadband Passive Optical Networking (BPON)
BPON is a combination of Passive Optical Networking (PON) and Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (WDM).
Passive Optical Networking (PON)
PON differs significantly from earlier direct fiber technologies and copper-line infrastructures. It enables the shared use of fiber for most of the distance between a central office and the customer. The passive optical splitter that fans the fiber out to customers is about the size of a pack of chewing gum, uses no electronics and requires no power source. These characteristics make PON significantly less expensive to deploy and operate.
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)
WDM divides light signals into different colors (wavelengths). Each color of light has its own wavelength and its own frequency. The electronic equipment on each end of the fiber can distinguish the different signals by their color. Combining several different wavelengths on the same fiber is referred to as multiplexing. At the termination point, these wavelengths must be separated again, which is known as demultiplexing.
In the PON architecture, WDM enables multiple transmissions to and from customers to travel as different colors of light over the same fiber, allowing a single fiber connection to serve multiple homes and businesses.