Omdia: Cable TV Companies Vigorously Developing PON

Omdia survey found that 35% of cable operators have already deployed PON in their networks, and nearly half of operators expect to do so within 12 months. Meanwhile, US municipal operator EPB is already experimenting with quantum computing.
Many cable TV operators are promoting the upgrade of Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC), but a considerable number of them are also deploying PON technology for fiber to home (FTTP) construction in rural areas and other green environments. Other companies, such as Altice USA and Virgin Media O2, are actively covering PON on their traditional HFC networks.

A recent survey by Omdia revealed the PON deployment of cable TV operators. Omdia (the sisters company of Light Reading) found that about 35% of the surveyed cable TV operators have already deployed PON in their networks, and another 47% are expected to do so next year. Only 8% of operators indicate that they currently have no plans to deploy PONs. This means that by next spring, about 80% of cable TV operators will deploy PON in some form or way, said Alan Breznick, a special analyst at Heavy Reading, at the LiveLearning webinar co hosted by Light Reading and SCTE.
Major industry organizations are also actively promoting PON technology. CableLabs is a typical example, as the organization has recently established two working groups for fiber optics, focusing on optical operation and maintenance, and specifying the DOCSIS framework for providing ITU based PON technology (including XGS-PON supporting 10g).
Although the current PON deployment is mainly focused on 10Gig technology, there have been some actions focused on the next generation 25Gig technology. Google Fiber is beginning to develop in this direction, and the municipal operator EPB in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA has launched a symmetrical 25Gbit/s service, covering approximately 180000 households and businesses.