Verizon has formally started lab testing of NG-PON2 technology, paving the way to significantly faster FiOS speeds. According to a Verizon press release, the company has tapped Ericsson (in partnership with Calix) and ADTRAN as key partners in their development and implementation of the fiber broadband technology, which they claim can deliver symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gbps per customer. Verizon says NG-PON 2 tech also improves network "flexibility and resiliency" because traffic can be shifted amongst multiple wavelengths without impacting customers.
The tests are currently ongoing in Verizon's Innovation Lab in Waltham, Massachussets.
"NG-PON2 technology supports up to 40 Gbps of total capacity and up to 10 Gbps speeds per customer, both upstream and downstream, over a single fiber – a tenfold increase over some of the current speeds in the industry," says Verizon of the technology. "Using NG-PON2 technology, the company plans to initially deploy a number of business services in 2017, followed by residential services as the technology matures and the market demands."
The company has previously stated that customers don't really need gigabit speeds. It used to say the same thing about 100 Mbps tiers being offered by Cablevision, which Verizon once called a "parlor trick". Verizon's long-since dominated Cablevision in top available speeds as the cable operator hunted for an acquisition partner.
Verizon last upgraded its core FiOS network from BPON to GPON around ten years ago. Last summer, Verizon
conducted tests of 10 Gbps down, 2.5 Gbps up residential fiber, with Verizon VP of technology Lee Hicks saying that NG-PON2 would provide Verizon with the ability to offer up to 80 Gbps as demand warrants. Earlier this year the ITU
formally approved the G.989 series of NG-PON2 standards it says would initially deliver speeds of 40 Gbps.
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