Customer Spotlight
Calix
The Polatis Test & Measurement
Instrumentation line of optical switch products
continues to demonstrate the value of automated
optical testing in critical applications. Calix, a
market leader in access solutions for broadband
service delivery, chose Polatis’ reconfigurable VST
optical switch when automating testing of its Calix
F-Series FTTP GPON product family.
The Calix F-Series product family provides a
complete gigabit passive optical network (GPON) FTTP
system. It is currently serving more than 300 FTTP
communities and Calix is the most widely installed
FTTP system provider in North America. The Calix
product testing group is using the Polatis VST
reconfigurable optical switch in their new advanced
test facilities for bi-directional FTTH products,
including the F5 GPON Optical Line Termination (OLT),
the F-500 and F-700 Series Optical Network
Terminations (ONTs).
The Calix F-Series Product
Family:
Calix found that Polatis’ reconfigurable VST
optical switch solution allows automated testing of
the complete F-series GPON FTTH product family. They
are now able to create fully 24/7 automated tests
while eliminating operator errors and lost time due to
trouble shooting. Polatis worked with Calix to find
the most cost effective solution.
One of the main advantages of the Polatis
DirectLight reconfigurable VST is that it is a fully
transparent physical layer optical switch. This means
the same optical switch could be used to test any of
Calix’s optical interfaces, regardless of the line
rate or launch power. This feature was critical for
automated testing of Calix’s new multi-bitrate
700-Series ONT that can migrate from 622 Mbs BPON to
2.4 Gbs GPON. The DirectLight switch is a fully
bi-directional dark fiber switch that can
independently test both the upstream and downstream
PON signals across their entire power ranges. In
addition, the Polatis dark fiber switch does not use
any closed loop optical control that could interfere
with sensitive analog or digital video signal testing.
Calix also found that the integrated VOA and power
meters greatly reduced equipment costs and
complexity.
“We were looking for a solution that would
allow us to test the advanced features of our F-Series
product family. We needed a solution that would lower
test costs and complexity while allowing us to test
upgrade ability from 622 Mbs BPON to 2.4 Gbs GPON.
Polatis worked with us to determine the best solution
for our application. The DirectLight reconfigurable
VST switch, with integrated attenuators and power
monitors on every port, gave us a simple low-cost way
to test a wide variety of bi-directional PON signals,”
says Al Sabean of Calix product testing
group.
The easy to use DirectLight switch interface
enabled immediate integration into Calix’s test
environment. The instrument grade specs of the
DirectLight switch (low loss, high repeatability and
low Return Loss) also means not having to questions
the results.
About Calix:
Calix is the
largest equipment supplier focused solely on access
solutions for broadband service delivery. Service
providers deploy Calix access systems to enable a rich
set of information, communication, and entertainment
services and to expand their revenue base beyond
connectivity. Calix access innovation helps service
providers transform their networks from circuit to
packet, from narrowband to broadband, and to drive
fiber deeper into the network. Calix has deployed its
solutions in hundreds of service provider networks
throughout North America and has shipped more then two
million ports. For information, visit the Calix website.
