Telecommunications

Standards Advisory
Committee (TSAC)

Next Generation
National Broadband
Network (NGNBN)

Optical Fibre
Deployment
Part 4 – Testing and Monitoring of
Passive Optical Access Networks

IMDA RD OFD – Part 4

Issue 1, 1 October 2016
Info-communications Media Development Authority
Resource Management & Standards
10 Pasir Panjang Road
#10-01 Mapletree Business City
Singapore 117438

© Copyright of IMDA, 2016

This document may be downloaded from the IMDA website at http://www.imda.gov.sg and shall not be
distributed without written permission from IMDA.
IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Acknowledgement

The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Telecommunications

Standards Advisory Committee (TSAC) would like to acknowledge the following members of the
Technical Committee Working Group 1 (TSTC WG1) for their invaluable contributions to the
preparation of this Reference Specification:

Chairman: Dr Yeo Yong Kee, A*STAR/I2R

S/N Organisation Name

1 Dr Chen Jian, Research Scientist

2 Mr Liaw Chin Yi, Senior Research Officer

3 Dr Wang Yixin, Senior Research Scientist

A*STAR/Institute for Infocomm Dr Cheng Xiaofei, Senior Research Fellow

4
Research (I2R)
5 Dr Park Chul Soo, Research Fellow

6 Dr Rong Weifeng, Research Fellow

7 Dr Shao Xu, Senior Research Fellow

Mr Christopher Thiam Boon Kwee, Director

8 BICSI Southeast Asia RFX Solutions Pte Ltd
Mr Tan Pek Tong, Senior Manager
9 M1 Limited
Mr Lim Chin Siang, Director (IT & Technologies)
10 Media Development Authority
A/Prof. Yu Changyuan, Assistant Professor
11 National University of Singapore

12 Nucleus Connect Pte Ltd Ms Khor Lay Khim, Senior Manager

13 OpenNet Pte Ltd Mr Tiong Oon Seng, Project Director

Mr Wong Ching Ping, Deputy Director

14 (International Private IP Engineering)
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd
Mr Tan Yoke Yin, Deputy Director (Access
15 System Engineering)
Mr Tan Yong Teck, Principal Engineer
16 StarHub Ltd

In addition, IMDA would like to thank Mr Varghese Paulose, A*STAR/I2R for his editorial contributions
to this document.

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Telecommunications Standards Advisory Committee (TSAC)

TSAC is responsible for the strategic direction, work programmes and procedures for standards-
setting, and acts as the advisory body to IMDA in meeting the needs of all stakeholders.

TSAC is supported by a Technical Committee (TSTC) where professional, trade and consumers’
interest in information and communications is represented by a wide sector of the info-
communications industry, comprising network operators, equipment suppliers and manufacturers,
academia and researchers, professional bodies and other government agencies.

TSAC Membership (2009-2011)

TSAC Chairman:

Mr Raymond Lee Director (Resource Management & Standards), Infocomm Development

Authority of Singapore

TSAC Members:

Mr Lim Yuk Min Deputy Director (Resource Management and Standards), Infocomm
(TSAC Vice-Chairman) Development Authority of Singapore

Mr Darwin Ho Kang Ming Vice President, Association of Telecommunications Industry of

Singapore

Mr Lim Chin Siang Director (IT & Technologies), Media Development Authority

Mr Patrick Scodeller Chief Technical Officer, M1 Limited

Assoc Prof Li Kwok Hung Nanyang Technological University, School of Electrical & Electronic
Engineering

Prof Ko Chi Chung National University of Singapore, Department of Electrical & Computer
Engineering

Assoc Prof Tham Chen National University of Singapore, Department of Electrical & Computer
Khong Engineering

Mr Simon Smith Senior Manager Regulatory, Pacnet Internet (S) Ltd

Mr Edwin Lok Manager (Engineering), Pacnet Internet (S) Ltd

Mr Lee Siak Kwee Director (Mobile Network Access), Singapore Telecommunications Ltd

Mr Tan Seow Nguan Director (Network System Engineering), Singapore Telecommunications

Ltd

Mr Lim Cheow Hai Director (Access Engineering), Singapore Telecommunications Ltd

Mr Soh Keng Hock Director (Private IP Engineering & VAS), Singapore Telecommunications
Ltd

Mrs Leong Suet Mui Principle Technical Executive (Standards Division), Spring Singapore

Mr Peter Cook Vice President (Network Mobile Technology & Planning Group), StarHub
Ltd

Mr Mah Chin Paw The Institution of Engineers, Singapore, AGM (Guthrie Engineering (S)
Pte Ltd

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IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Mr Liang Seng Quee Deputy Director (Network Infrastructure), Infocomm Development

Authority of Singapore

Ms Woo Yim Leng Senior Manager (Resource Management & Standards), Infocomm
Development Authority of Singapore

TSAC Secretariat:

Ms Tay Siew Koon Manager (Resource Management & Standards), Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore

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 Contents

Section Title Page

1. Scope 2

2. Abbreviations 3

3. Safety Precautions 4

4. Pre-testing Preparation 5

5. Fibre Test Equipment and Techniques 6

6. Outside Plant and Optical Fibre Maintenance 11

7. Device Conformance Certification 12

8. Network Performance Testing 13

9. In-service Testing and Monitoring 14

10. References 16

Annex Corrigendum / Addendum 17

This Reference Document is a living document which is subject to review and

revision.
Reference Documents, Specifications and Guides are informative documents
and are not used for approval of customer equipment. They are either one of the
following types of documents:
Informative and interim documents on customer equipment standards which are
yet to be adopted by network operators; or
Informative documents describing network standards and practices adopted by
the public telecommunication networks in Singapore.

NOTICE

T HE INFO-COMMUNICATIONS M EDIA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (“IMDA”) MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY

KIND WITH REGARD TO THE MATERIAL PROVIDED HEREIN AND EXCLUDES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF NON - INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE . SUBJECT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER LAW,
IMDA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS AND / OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR ANY
LOSSES OR DAMAGES ( INCLUDING ANY LOSS OF PROFITS , BUSINESS , GOODWILL OR REPUTATION ,
AND /OR ANY SPECIAL , INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ) IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF
THIS MATERIAL .

IMDA DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE PRACTICE OR IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS STANDARD
MAY INVOLVE THE USE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND TAKES NO POSITION CONCERNING THE
EXISTENCE, VALIDITY AND/OR APPLICABILITY OF ANY SUCH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, WHETHER
ASSERTED BY TSAC MEMBERS OR ANY THIRD PARTY.

AS OF THE DATE OF APPROVAL OF THIS STANDARD, IMDA HAS NOT RECEIVED WRITTEN NOTICE OF ANY
PATENT RIGHTS WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT IN RELATION TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS STANDARD.
HOWEVER, IMPLEMENTERS ARE CAUTIONED THAT THIS MAY NOT REPRESENT THE LATEST INFORMATION AND
ARE THEREFORE STRONGLY URGED TO CHECK WITH THE RELEVANT DATABASE IN ITU, ISO, IEC OR THE
RELATED STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR INFORMATION OF PATENT RIGHTS. IMPLEMENTERS
ARE ADVISED TO OBTAIN THEIR OWN LEGAL AND/OR TECHNICAL ADVICE IN RELATION TO THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE STANDARD IF REQUIRED.
 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Testing and Monitoring of Passive Optical Access Networks

1 Scope

After the fibres of a Passive Optical Network (PON) system are deployed, various performance tests
should be performed to ensure that the network meets the functional requirements. The tests can be
classified as pre-operation tests and in-service tests, and both are covered in this section. In addition,
commonly used test equipment and optical measurement techniques are also introduced.

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

2 Abbreviations

This Reference Specification uses the following abbreviations:

PON Passive Optical Network

IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
ANSI American National Standards Institute
AEL Accessible Emission Limit
MPE Maximum Permissible Exposure
PC Physical Connector
APC Angle-polished Connector
OTDR Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer
ORL Optical Return Loss
FTTx Fibre to the x (x can be Curb, Home, etc.)
P Power
W Watts
OPS Optical Pulse Suppressor
OLTS Optical Loss Test Set
IPA Isopropyl Alcohol
WDM Wave Division Multiplexing
OLT Optical Line Termination
ONT Optical Network Terminal
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
LOF Loss of Frame
BER Bit Error Rate
QoS Quality of Service

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3 Safety Precautions

There are certain precautions that should be taken when working with optical fibres. Precautions are
required to maintain a safe work environment and reduce time lost as a result of accidents. In addition
to these precautions, all other safety rules applicable for the installation environment should be
followed. Please refer to the IEC 60950 [1] series of recommendations for safety guidelines applicable
to telecommunication equipment.

3.1 Cleaving Fibres

When cleaving and stripping optical fibre cables, one should wear proper safety glasses and gloves.
Some tools such as strippers and cleavers can be very sharp and can injure the operator. In addition,
small glass fragments produced by cutting fibres, cleaving fibres, or during scribing procedures can
easily fly into the air. One should be alert to these fragments to avoid injury to the eyes and skin.

3.2 Laser Light Safety

Light from lasers can be harmful to the eye. Laser light used in FTTx networks for transmission of data
is invisible. Since one is unable to see it, one cannot tell if the light is causing harm to the eye. In
addition, the eye’s retina, where the damage occurs, has no pain sensation. Therefore, one should
exercise caution while working with lasers or fibres coupled to lasers. Never look into the end of a fibre
that may have a laser coupled to it.

The international standard IEC 60825-1 [2] from the International Electrotechnical Commission is
applicable regarding laser light safety. Some additional national standards such as ANSI (American
National Standards Institute) Z136.x [3] may be adopted by certain countries. ITU-T G.664 [4] also
contains some information regarding procedures for preventing injuries to the eyes and skin.

Note that exposure to small amounts of laser light can lead to permanent eye injury.

The IEC 60825 classification consists of four classes of lasers based on the accessible emission limit
(AEL).

Class Definition
A class 1 laser is safe under all conditions of normal use. This means the maximum
Class 1
permissible exposure (MPE) cannot be exceeded.
A Class 1M laser is safe for all conditions of use except when it has passed through
Class 1M magnifying optics such as microscopes and telescopes. Class 1M lasers produce
large-diameter beams, or beams that are divergent.
A Class 2 laser is safe because the blink reflex will limit the exposure to no more than
Class 2
0.25 seconds. This classification only applies to visible-light lasers (400–700 nm).
A Class 2M laser is safe because of the blink reflex and also if it is not viewed through
optical instruments. As with class 1M, this applies to laser beams with a large diameter
Class 2M
or large divergence, for which the amount of light passing through the pupil cannot
exceed the limits for class 2.
A Class 3R laser is considered safe if handled carefully, with restricted beam viewing.
With a Class 3R laser, the MPE can be exceeded, but with a low risk of injury. Visible
Class 3R
continuous lasers in Class 3R are limited to 5 mW. For other wavelengths and for
pulsed lasers, other limits apply.
A Class 3B laser is hazardous if the eye is exposed directly, but diffuse reflections such
as from paper or other matte surfaces are not harmful. Continuous lasers in the
Class 3B wavelength range from 315 nm to far infrared are limited to 0.5 W. For pulsed lasers
between 400 and 700 nm, the limit is 30 mJ. Limits for other wavelengths and
ultrashort pulsed lasers also exist.
Class 4 Class 4 lasers include all lasers with beam power greater than class 3B. By definition, a

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

class-4 laser can burn the skin and cause potentially devastating and permanent eye
damage due to direct or diffuse beam viewing.

Every laser must carry a warning label stating the class of laser as shown in Figure 1. It is the
responsibility of the manufacturer to determine the classification of the laser. The manufacturer does
so by measuring the wavelength, output power and the pulsing characteristics of the laser.

Figure 1: Laser Light Warning Labels

3.3 Electrical Safety

Before proceeding to test and measure optical fibre systems, one should follow standard electrical
safety guidelines and be well trained in electrical wiring and connection practices.

When optical fibre systems run through the same area as electrical wiring or cabinets, use extreme
caution when handling tools and ladders. Mistakes can send enough voltage through the body to
cause severe injuries. One should remember that electrical fields can exist beyond a cable’s insulation
if high voltages are present, so wooden ladders should be used to reduce the possibility of exposure
to induced voltages. One should also be careful when handling cutters and other tools so as to avoid
accidental contact with electrical wires.

4 Pre-testing Preparation

Before a test is carried out, some preparation work should be done:

1. Check if the fibre under test is being used to carry live traffic. In other words, distinguish an in-
service test from an out-service test.

2. Check the uniformity of connectors, e.g. PC to PC and APC to APC.

3. Clean all connectors.

4. Check if the testing instruments need to be calibrated.

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

5. Check if the testing equipment needs to be “warmed up”.

6. Check the sensitivity and power limit of optical receivers in order to avoid damage to the
photodetectors.

5 Fibre Test Equipment and Techniques

ITU-T L.40 [5] contains information for the surveillance, testing, and control of optical fibre networks
during the preventive maintenance phase and the “after installation before service” or “post fault”
maintenance phase. Various types of testing methods are also recommended.

Unlike the L.40, ITU-T L.53 [6] focusses more specifically on the maintenance criteria for access
networks as point-to-multipoint networks such as PON require a different testing approach compared
to point-to-point networks. The test and measurement equipment is similar to those recommended in
ITU-T L.40, and they are described in this section.

Commonly used measurement and test equipment for FTTx networks include the optical power meter,
insertion loss tester, visual fault locator, optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) and optical return
loss (ORL) tester.

5.1 Optical Power Meter

The optical power is a measure of the rate at which photons arrive at a photodetector. Thus it is a
measure of energy transfer per unit time. In this document, optical power refers to the average power
in a specified time slot.

An optical power meter measures the optical power over a selected spectral passband. In an FTTx
network, an optical power meter can have the following passbands: 1260 to 1360nm for
measurements at 1310nm, 1480 to 1500nm for measurements at 1490nm, and 1540 to 1560nm for
measurements at 1550nm. Multiwavelength optical power meters are available on the market today,
and they are the most common instruments for measuring optical signal power levels. Usually, the
meter outputs are described by dBm, which can be calculated by the following formula:
P
dBm  10 log 10
1mW
where P is the power in units of Watts (W). Figure 2 depicts a typical handheld optical power meter.

Figure 2: A Handheld Optical Power Meter

(Courtesy of EXFO)

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5.2 Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)

An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is one of the most useful instruments to evaluate the
transmission characteristics of an installed fibre. In addition to identifying and locating faults or
anomalies within a link, this equipment can measure parameters such as fibre attenuation, fibre
length, optical connector losses, optical splice losses and light reflectance levels.

Figure 3: An Example of a Handheld OTDR

(Courtesy of EXFO)

Principle of Operation

An OTDR operates by emitting pulses of light into one end of a fibre and then measuring the
reflections generated from the fibre at the same end. The main advantage of an OTDR is that since it
measures the time taken for the light to reflect back, the OTDR can provide the distance to various
sources of loss in the fibre.

Laser diode Bi-direction Fiber under

Pulse coupler test
Generator

Photodetector

Amplifier

Time base Sampling and

control unit AD convert

Signal
processing

Display

Figure 4: Major Components of an OTDR

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IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Information from OTDR Trace

An operator obtains information on the fibre link from a trace displayed on the OTDR screen (Figure
5). The scale of the vertical axis is logarithmic and represents the reflected signal in decibels. The
horizontal axis denotes the distance between the OTDR and the measurement point in the fibre. The
slope of the fibre trace is in dB/km and it shows the attenuation coefficient of the fibre.

The connectors and splices along a fibre link produce "events" in the OTDR trace. Although both
result in an attenuation loss, they also create reflective peaks in the OTDR trace (Figure 5). The height
of those peaks indicates the amount of reflection at the connector or splice. Sometimes, the reflection-
related loss of a good fusion splice can be too small to be visible on the OTDR trace.

The resolution of the OTDR is an important specification as one cannot see two events that are closer
than is allowed by the pulse width. Generally, longer pulse widths allow an operator to see farther
along the fibre link while narrower pulses are used when high resolution is needed, although this limits
the length of the fibre the OTDR can measure.

Figure 5: OTDR Trace Information

Dead Zone

In an OTDR, the photodiode can be temporarily saturated by a strong optical reflection and the dead
zone is defined as the distance over which this occurs. As is evident from Figure 6, the dead zone is
classified in two ways.

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100%

50%

Event
Dead
Zone

Attenuation dead zone

Figure 6: OTDR Dead Zone

The event dead zone is caused by a single reflective event and, in this case, the measured dead zone
depends on the time duration of the optical pulse emitted by the OTDR (see Figure 6) and the
magnitude of the reflection. In theory, using a shorter pulse length will result in a smaller event dead
zone. For a 100ns pulse, the event dead zone is typically 15 m.

The second type is known as the attenuation dead zone and it is defined as the distance over which
the photodetector in an OTDR needs to recover following a reflective event before it is again able to
detect a reflected signal. Typical attenuation dead zones range from 10 to 25 m.

In order to prevent the dead zone from affecting the measurements, a fibre optic patch cord is typically
added to the OTDR measurement port to serve as a “dead zone jumper”. In addition, some OTDR
vendors have started to incorporate a special length of fibre called an optical pulse suppressor (OPS)
in their equipment. This can reduce the event dead zone to about 1m.

5.3 Visual Fault Locator

A visual fault locator is a handheld measurement device that uses a visible laser light source to locate
breakpoints, bending or cracks in the fibre. It can also be used for fibre identification.

Usually, the light source in the locator emits a red light beam (at 650nm for example) into a fibre.
When the light encounters a fault, the light scatters out of the fibre and is thus visible to the naked eye
in the form of a glowing or blinking red light (if the output power of the source is modulated). The
output power of the light source in general is 0dBm, so it will be visible even through a fibre jacket.
Figure 7 shows a visual fault locator.

Figure 7: Visual Fault Locator

(Courtesy of EXFO)

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5.4 Optical Return Loss (ORL) Meter

In telecommunications, the return loss is the reflection of signal power resulting from the insertion of a
device in a transmission line or optical fibre. Optical return loss can be introduced at optical
connectors, fibre endfaces, optical splitter interfaces, and within the fibre itself due to Rayleigh back
scattering. If it becomes too high, this reflection can cause optical resonance in the laser source and
result in its erratic operation and increased laser noise. In addition, the reflected light can undergo
multiple reflections in the transmission link and increase the bit error rate when it enters the receiver.

ORL is usually expressed as a ratio in dB relative to the transmitted signal power. If the power
transmitted by the source is Pt and the power reflected is Pr, then the return loss in dB is given by:

Pr
ORL  10 log
Pt
One can use either an OTDR or an ORL meter to measure this parameter. Figure 8 shows a portable
optical return loss test meter.

Figure 8: Optical Return Loss Meter

(Courtesy of EXFO)

5.5 Insertion Loss Test Set

The insertion loss is the loss of signal power resulting from the insertion of a device in an optical fibre
link. Usually expressed as a ratio in dB relative to the transmitted signal power, it can also be referred
to as attenuation loss. The insertion loss (in dB) is given by:
Pi
10 log 10
Pt
where, Pi is the received power at the photodetector and Pt is the transmitted power of the laser
source.

An optical loss test set (OLTS) is used to carry out this testing (Figure 9). This instrument combines a
light source and a power meter in a single unit so that only one instrument is required to transmit and
detect the optical signal.

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Figure 9: Optical Loss Test Sets

(Courtesy of EXFO)

5.6 Optical Fibre Identifier

An optical fibre identifier is a measurement device that contains a very sensitive phototedector. When
a fibre is bent, some light radiates out of the core due to macrobending loss, and this light can be
detected by a fibre identifier, which allows the technician to distinguish a live fibre from a dark one. The
fibre identifier can also indicate the presence and direction of a traffic stream without interrupting
actual data transmission.

Figure 10: Optical Fibre Identifier

(Courtesy of EXFO)

6 Outside Plant and Optical Fibre Maintenance

Visual Inspection

A regular scheduled preventative maintenance programme should be established for outdoor

installations because they are more susceptible to mechanical and environmental damage. It may be
necessary to conduct frequent visual inspection of outside plant networks in order to detect damage or
potential damage.

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Cleaning Techniques

Ensuring that a fibre optic connection is clean is one of the most critical requirements for maintaining
an error-free communication link. Figure 11 shows a dirty optical connector compared with a clean
one.

Figure 11: Comparison between a Dirty Connector and a Clean One

(Courtesy of EXFO)

In a PON system, two types of fibre optic connectors may need regular cleaning depending on the
environment in which they are situated.

1. Connectors on a fibre optic patch cable or fibre pigtail of optical splitter

2. Connectors plugged into patch panels or other hardware devices and equipment

Some popular connector cleaning methods are listed below:

 Dry cleaning: Cleaning without using any solvent.

 Wet cleaning: Cleaning using a solvent. Typically isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is used.
 Non-Abrasive Cleaning: Cleaning without abrasive material touching the fibre optic connector
endface. Examples: air dusters or pressured solvent jets used in automated in-situ connector
cleaners.
 Abrasive cleaning: Lint-free wipes, reel-based fibre connector cleaners and optic cleaning swabs.

7 Device Conformance Certification

The optical distribution network in a PON system includes the feeder cables, distribution fibres, optical
connectors, and optical splitters. These devices should be installed and tested according to
international standards so that their mechanical and reliability performances can be assured when
they are deployed. Table 1 shows some of such standards.

Table 1: Reliability Standards for Optical Outside Plant Components

Standard Description

GR-13 [7] This document contains general, electrical, mechanical and

environmental requirements for pedestal terminal closures that house
passive optical components used in an outside plant environment. It
also includes descriptions of optical measurement techniques such as
OTDR.

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GR-326 [8] This document contains generic performance and reliability assurance
requirements for fibre-optic connectors and jumpers. It gives detailed
information on test sample preparation, environmental tests,
mechanical tests, test facility and equipment requirements, as well as
reliability assurance programmes.
GR-1081 [9] This document focusses on reliability assurance requirements for
field-mountable optical fibre connectors. Most of the tests are covered
in GR-326.
GR-1209 [10] These two documents describe generic reliability assurance
requirements for passive optical components such as couplers,
GR-1221 [11] circulators, filters, isolators, and WDMs. Assessment criteria for
optical, environmental and mechanical performances of these
components are defined. GR-1221 focusses more on reliability
assurance programmes as well as reliability and quality criteria.
IEC-62134-1 [12] This recommendation focusses on generic specifications for fibre-
optic enclosures. Requirements on classification, documentation,
design and workmanship, performance, and identification of
enclosures are described. The test procedures are not included in this
document but can be found in the IEC 61300 series.
IEC-61753-X series [13] This IEC series contains documents that describe generic
requirements for passive fibre-optic products that include connectors,
passive optical components, fibre management systems and
enclosures. The series comprises multiple parts.

Part I (IEC 61753-1) focusses on general information related to

performance standards. Various tests and severity conditions are
defined. The other parts contain specific performance standards that
describe minimum test and measurement severities a product must
pass in order to qualify as meeting performance requirements. The
following components are included:

o Fibre optic connectors (IEC 61753-2-1, IEC 61753-021-2, IEC

61753-021-6 , IEC 61753-022-2
o Wavelength branching devices (IEC 61753-031-3)
o Attenuators (IEC 61753-051-3 , IEC 61753-053-3)
o Isolators (IEC 61753-061-3, IEC 61753-062-6)
o WDM devices (IEC 61753-081-2 , IEC 61753-082-2, IEC 61753-
083-2, IEC 61753-084-2, IEC 61753-085-2, IEC 61753-086-2)
o Circulator (IEC 61753-091-3, IEC 61753-092-6)
o Fibre management system (IEC 61753-101-2, IEC 61753-101-3 )
o Sealed enclosures (IEC 61753-111-7, IEC 61753-111-8, IEC
61753-111-9)
o Mechanical fibre splice (IEC 61753-131-3)

8 Network Performance Testing

After the installation of optical fibre links, a network performance test should be implemented, and this
usually consists of connectivity testing and traffic performance testing. At this stage, the OLT and the
ONT should already be connected to the network and be fully functional.

Connectivity Testing

Once the FTTx physical networking link is established, the first test that should be conducted is the
connectivity test. A simple and low-cost procedure is to use a computer that is connected to the ONT
to execute a “Ping” command to connect to a server on the network. There is some commercially
available measurement equipment that can perform this test as well.

Traffic Performance Testing

The connectivity test will only tell whether a network level link is established or not. For a more
detailed analysis on the network performance, a traffic performance tester should be used (Figure 12).

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Figure 12: An Example of a Network Performance Tester

(Courtesy of EXFO)

The following parameters are usually measured:

1. Throughput: Generally, this testing is carried out using the TCP protocol, and the throughput is
dependant on the TCP packet size. After this test, an average bit rate for the network will be
reported.

2. Frame loss: Frame loss is an indication that one or more network frames did not get through the
networking device (e.g. ONT). When the loss of frame (LOF) error occurs, it typically indicates that
the traffic load for this device is too high or some equipment is wrongly configured.

3. Jitter: Jitter is a measure of the time variation in which packets need to be transmitted. If the jitter
is high, some applications, such as those that are based on real-time transmission of voice and
video, will be adversely affected.

4. Latency: Latency is a measure of time delay experienced by the packets when they are
transmitted across the network. If the latency is too high, it will result in a transmission time out.

5. BER (Bit Error Rate): This is one of the most important measures of signal quality. The BER shows
how many bits are transmitted wrongly. If the BER is high, many packets have to be re-transmitted,
thus slowing down the performance of applications.

6. QoS (Quality of Services): QoS refers to the capability of a telecommunications network to provide
differentiated levels of service for different classes of data traffic.

9 In-service Testing and Monitoring

Live Traffic Testing

With the mass development of optical fibre access networks, large quantities of fibres will be installed.
At times, because of mislabelling or poor record-keeping, it is not easy to find the exact fibre in a
bundle of fibres when the technician needs to test and maintain the network. The optical fibre indicator
introduced in section 4.3 provides a quick and easy method to distinguish the live fibres from the dark
fibres. It is also able to measure the traffic flow direction.

Optical Link Testing and Troubleshooting

When a service is activated in a PON system, telephony, data traffic and video data are sent from the
OLT to various ONTs at every residential customer location. If any ONT malfunctions and cannot

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continue to provide services for the customer, this particular branch of the PON becomes inactive and
customers who are associated with this branch are disconnected from the network. The solution to
this problem usually requires a truck roll, where a technician is dispatched to the customer’s premises
to troubleshoot and restart the service.

To avoid affecting the remaining branches of the network, the technician should conduct in-service
testing and troubleshooting. Executing these tests should not interfere with the upstream and
downstream PON wavelengths and thus the ITU-T L.41 [14] standard recommends using the U-band
(the central wavelength is 1650 nm) as the maintenance band for an in-service testing of an optical
network. Figure 13 shows a typical testing and troubleshooting set-up for a PON system.

Figure 13: A Typical Testing and Troubleshooting Set-up for a PON System
(Courtesy of EXFO)

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10 References

[1] IEC 60950. Safety of Information Technology Equipment - Third Edition. Apr 1, 1999.
IEC 60825-1. Safety of Laser Products - Part 1: Equipment Classification and Requirements -
[2]
Edition 2.0. Aug 1, 2008.
[3] ANSI Z136.x. Safe Use of Lasers. Oct 26, 2000.
ITU-T G.664. Optical Safety Procedure and Requirements for Optical Transport Systems -
[4]
Study Group 15. Mar 1, 2006.
ITU-T L.40. Optical Fibre Outside Plant Maintenance Support, Monitoring and Testing
[5]
System - Study Group 6. Oct 1, 2000.
ITU-T L.53. Optical Fibre Maintenance Criteria for Access Networks - Study Group 6. May 1,
[6]
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[7] Telcordia GR-13. Generic Requirements for Pedestal Terminal Closures. Jan 2008.
Telcordia GR-326. Generic Requirements for Single-Mode Optical Connectors and Jumper
[8]
Assemblies. Sep 1999.
Telcordia GR-1081. Generic Requirements for Field-Mountable Optical Fibre Connectors.
[9]
Jan 1995.
[10] Telcordia GR-1209. Generic Requirements for Passive Optical Components. Mar 2001.
Telcordia GR-1221. Generic Reliability Assurance Requirements for Passive Optical
[11]
Components. Jan 1999.
IEC 62134-1. Fibre Optic Interconnecting Devices and Passive Components - Fibre Closures
[12]
- Part 1: Generic Specification - Edition 2.0. Jun 1, 2009.
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[13]
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ITU-T L.41. Maintenance Wavelength on Fibres Carrying Signals - Study Group 6. May 1,
[14]
2000.

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 IMDA RD OFD – Part 4 (October 2016)

Annex

Corrigendum / Addendum

Changes to IDA RD OFD - Part 4 Issue 1 Rev 1, May 2011

Page RS Ref Items Changed Date of Issue
The IDA RD OFD - Part 4 Issue 1 Rev 1 (May 2011) has been re- 1 Oct 2016
issued as the IMDA RD OFD - Part 4 Issue 1 (Oct 2016)

Changes to IDA RD OFD - Part 4 Issue 1, Jul 10

Effective
Page RS Ref. Items Changed
Date
─ ─ Change of IDA’s address at cover page to Mapletree Business City. 1 May 11

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