"XGSPON shallow build for business"

I did a search for this phrase and haven't seen it come up anywhere, is this new to the BT Wholesale checker or have I just not noticed it before?

https://i.imgur.com/TKaWA5R.png

This is an address on the Salisbury exchange. Chuck postcode SP2 7PU into the checker if you want to see the same result come out.

I presume this indicates that the PON split is lower than for residential areas with a view to putting XGSPON in place in future, rather than saying the address will be allocated to an XGSPON OLT regardless of the service ordered.

New one on me. Perhaps it’s just a weird random DB anomaly?

As you know the ‘footnote’ section of the results from the BTW checker for FTTP typically indicate the “physical” nature of the connection; the type of connection - OH feed or UG, issues with the verge, tree cover etc and any particular constraints or possible 2-stage install etc etc.

I cannot understand why they would put PON topological (splitting density and/or technology type ie XGS-PON) information there - would be more appropriate and obvious surely in the line performance tables above?

That being said, perhaps there’s something “special” this being within the Salisbury FTTP trial area…or simply the database is not setup for any such specials?

Also I checked a couple of properties from that postcode and didn’t see that actual output / result pop up, as per your screen grab. To be fair I didn’t hang about to check each and every property on the postcode exhaustively.

What actual property ID/name/number was it?

Edited by Pheasant (Fri 21-Oct-22 05:56:25)

I'm not sure, however from the Openreach point of view shallow would be closer to their headend, deeper closer to the customer if they're following the same convention as cable networks. If you have a look at fibre deep cable networks it refers to, well, fibre deeper into the network, further from the cable hubsites and headends and closer to customers.

I think I suggested elsewhere that Openreach may follow pretty much everyone else in running a higher split ratio for XGSPON: this might be referring to that.

Of course it could mean absolutely nothing like that

I'd say the opposite: if this has been built specifically as a business-serving PON then they'll have a lower split ratio. They'll be scaling it to supply multiple multi-gigabit connections on XGS-PON.

But this could all be experimental in a trial area.

I can't say it'd be a huge surprise if Openreach were using the opposite terminology to the norm.

On the flip I can't see why they'd trial a lower split for businesses unless that's what they're going to run with in production, and that seems extremely unlikely given they've built the GPON out on a 30:1 with 2 spares ratio. Going out and splitting PONs serving a million premises just in case would be insanity.

You'd run with the split you want in production if you're testing for capacity planning purposes. 15:1 is not required even for businesses unless you want to sell leased line replacements with guaranteed full bandwidth all the time, or are selling 8 Gbit/s symmetrical at a low price with a 5G+ guarantee.

I can't see Openreach going from selling 1 down, 220 up over GPON to anything above 4G symmetrical to businesses and that works just fine split between 64 or 128 unless a single business is a profoundly heavy user.

I should mention some of this doesn't come from experience with FTTP but cable. You can sell 50% of the pipe as a top tier on a network shared between 100+ customers with no problems at all.

Not really comparable however when I was running with enough GPON capacity to draw the entire PON I hardly ever saw below 2.1G, sharing with 31 other connected premises, and on uncapped XGS with a few other connected customers I haven't seen below 8G.

Business usage is somewhat lower than most may imagine in my experience. Guest Internet, out of hour backups, ultra high quality video conferencing and employee recreational use are the big bandwidth consumers for most. Businesses with huge bandwidth requirements are a small proportion and unlikely to rely on shared services for their needs.

Edited by XGS_Is_On (Fri 21-Oct-22 11:12:07)

In reply to a post by XGS_Is_On:

On the flip I can't see why they'd trial a lower split for businesses unless that's what they're going to run with in production, and that seems extremely unlikely given they've built the GPON out on a 30:1 with 2 spares ratio. Going out and splitting PONs serving a million premises just in case would be insanity.

There was a discussion a while back about dedicated circuits being run over the PON network. XGSPON is symmetrical so it's easy to see why Openreach might have lower split ratios for businesses.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

There was a discussion a while back about dedicated circuits being run over the PON network. XGSPON is symmetrical so it's easy to see why Openreach might have lower split ratios for businesses.

I thought that discussions was about Openreach using agg nodes and CBT ports for leased lines but bypassing the splitter (can still go in and out of the splitter housing but spliced via a spare tray) so the connection between the exchange and customer was 1:1

Edited by deleted (Fri 21-Oct-22 14:37:02)

They’ll use the spine cabling, ag node etc. However as far as I know they won’t actually run EAD through a CBT port, but will splice a new drop from the last track joint/node to serve such a circuit.

jpm

As this is in the middle of a Business area it may be that the whole area is intended to be XGSPON and the note is so that the correct ONT is ordered.

The 'shallow build' is the only uninterpreted phrase. It could have a number of possible meanings and only someone like Witchunt will have an idea of what it really means. Everybody else is just guessing.

Pheasnt

Nurseplus " Our records show the following FTTP network service information for these premises:-Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG XGSPON shallow build for business"

This is an active connection that they haven't recorded single/multi port ONT

(This is 'Abicare' on the OR checker.)

Hoping Witchunt will be able to tell us what the shallow build means, but they all appear to be XGSPON. on the industrial estate ( Google maps view)