QPAR: A Quasi-Passive and Reconfigurable node for green next-generation optical access networks

Passive optical network (PON) is regarded as a promising solution for the broadband bandwidth bottleneck problem. However, due to its passive nature, legacy PON is limited by the static power distribution, which makes it power inefficient. To address this problem, we propose QPAR [4], a Quasi-Passive and Reconfigurable node, which enables dynamic power and wavelength assignment so as to save optical power budget in PON. In this paper, we study the power gains that can be achieved in PON employing QPAR, as well as different factors that may facilitate or prevent real QPAR deployments. We conduct extensive simulations to demonstrate the merits of QPAR. Results show that QPAR can achieve high optical power saving by intelligently redistributing the unnecessary power assigned to “close” optical network units (ONUs) in the network. The saved power can either be used to connect more ONUs, or extend the network reach without increasing the optical power budget.