In reply to a post by zyborg47:

I realise that Zzoomm runs their own fibre infrastructure, like virgin and gigaclear.

i had a look at some videos, one of them showing open reach installation, they use a drop cable and the video I saw had the cable going into a box indoors, which is a Gpon terminal and then that is going to a plusnet router. I read that GPon is just a faster version of a PoN, the splitters was in the ground under a cover.

So Zzoomm box on outside is not active at all? The unit they are using on the inside for the connection from the fibre is a Smart/Rg SR400ac, which looks like a normal router, in fact it says router on the instructions and there is also a second one of these installed where even the customer want, so they have good Wi-fi all around the house
If I go for it, I will have one up here in the computer room, then I can connect my computer, printer and NAS directly to the lans on it, save having the network switch I have here.

It is all pretty interesting, I like learning about things like this, i set up a 10Gb/s network at a friends house a few weeks ago and that was a learning curve, used fibre for that, that was fun learning about SFP+ and transceivers and not all transceivers will work with all systems. But we got there in the end, and now she can access her NAS at the speed it is supposed to be access or as good as you can get. Just a shame that most things are still 1Gb/s.

So I learnt something I hope from the couple of videos I have watched, I hope.

Thanks for the info.

PON is the basic network standard / architecture. It comes in different flavours including GPON (what Openreach use). Although GPON is inherently an asymmetric standard, there is a faster, symmetric flavour too.

Other providers here in the UK are using next generation XGS-PON which is XG for 10 Gbit/s, S for symmetric so 10 Gbps in the upstream and downstream paths. Some like London based Community Fibre are already delivering 3 Gbit/s symmetrically to residential customers who want it and full 10 Gbits/s symmetric for business customers.

Openreach have trailed XGS-PON but not rolled it out (yet). They could do so without replacing any fibre etc 'in the ground' as the same fibre network will happily run GPON and XGS-PON and can rollout and operate both standards simultaneously as downstream and upstream the wavelengths for GPON and XGS-PON don't overlap.

Also fair to point out that other FTTP alt net providers have decided not to use PON technology at all to deliver their services.

Some like Gigaclear use a more 'traditional' point-to-point (PtP) architecture which is more or less LAN derived.

PtP based FTTP is quite a different beast to Openreach style GPON based FTTP. PtP architecture requires more "active" infrastructure at the providers side, because it is "star" based requiring a one for one active pluggable for each customer. Typically they will provision this in a distributed fashion with the active equipment serving customer housed in nodes/cabinets, in similar fashion to FTTC/VDSL.

Note that PON is a "tree-and-branch" based topology, taking the fibre all the way back to a head-end exchange (not necessarily the local exchange for copper services). No active gear other than in the customer premises.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

I thought that above a certain length there would need to be some sort of system to boast it, even light will fade after a certain distance.

The losses in single-mode fibre are low. GPON networks (with passive splitters) can achieve distances of around 20km from wherever the headend is. Point-to-point optical networks can go much longer in a single span.

Openreach can reach most properties directly from a head-end exchange. To serve ultra-remote properties, they do occasionally use a "subtended headend" which is basically a mini-OLT sitting in a cabinet.

I would expect Zzoomm to place their optical line termination equipment somewhere within the footprint that can reach all the properties directly.

Where they put what cabinets ??? This is FTTP. No cabinets.

"at a friends house a few weeks ago "

With covid restrictions this may well have been illegal.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Where they put what cabinets ??? This is FTTP. No cabinets.

This is an altnet (Zzoomm) we're talking about.

I've seen both Cityfibre and Gigaclear cabinets: they are passive, unpowered cabinets. I don't know what Zzoom do.

+1 There is danger to presume that FTTP automatically => GPON (or XGPON or XGSPON)

There's a good comparison article for PON and PtP architectures here:
https://www.ppc-online.com/blog/fiber-to-the-premise...

In reply to a post by candlerb:

I would expect Zzoomm to place their optical line termination equipment somewhere within the footprint that can reach all the properties directly.

Stand to be corrected, but having done a quick search it appears that Zzoomm use XGS-PON (and Adtran ONTs)

Yep, lots and lots of Cityfibre cabs on our estate, seems to be at junctions of 2 or 3 streets, although I've not really taken a proper survey

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

+1 There is danger to presume that FTTP automatically => GPON (or XGPON or XGSPON)

There is also a presumption that GPON => no cabinets. This isn't true; Cityfibre are GPON, and they do use cabinets.