| Toru Kazawa | Access Products Planning Dept., Carrier Network System Div., |
| Masakazu Kitazawa | Access System Dept., Carrier Network System Div., |
| Nobuaki Tajimi | Access System Dept., Carrier Network System Div., |
| Yoshihiro Ashi | Access Products Planning Dept., Carrier Network System Div., |
To achieve easy, stress-free communication, it is necessary to provide a high-speed access network that can transmit and distribute all kinds of media — namely, voice, data, and still/video images — without delay. At present, the conversion of access networks to optical technologies is continuing apace, and access systems providing bandwidths supporting transmission speeds of 10 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s are being rapidly introduced. As regards access systems, it is necessary to strike a balance between broadband and fine bandwidth control, high cost-performance, and high reliability. In the current paper, first, the application scope of access systems is categorized as three kinds of users: businesses, general households users, and apartment complexes. Hitachi's solutions to meet the demands of each kind of user — respectively, an Ethernet* converter, a gigabit Ethernet PON (passive optical network), and a hybrid access system — are then described. Next, taking up the gigabit Ethernet PON (which utilizes the latest optical access technology standardized by the IEEE802.3 standards committee) as the topic of discussion, the paper describes the transmission method, system features, and optical transmission technologies applied by this solution.
| * | Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corp. |
optical access system, Ethernet converter, hybrid access system, gigabit Ethernet PON
