Testing is an important means to enhance network quality, network construction, an important means of operators. Test on the one hand, to ensure the consistency and stability of the business, at the same time can be effectively promoted the maturity of the industry.

Currently, the test is not only limited to test network equipment, more and more important for the business and user perception test. Therefore, testing techniques, testing tools developed laboratory environment to build all aspects of test quality assurance will affect the results of the entire test.

In the field of fiber optic communications, with China Mobile completed 100G network test now, “Broadband China” strategy forthcoming FTTH being the country vigorously. Fiber optic communication testing methods and techniques are changed with the change of network.

FTTH test can be roughly divided into the construction, maintenance, fault diagnosis phases. FTTH three wavelengths (1310nm, 1490 nm and 1550 nm) loss during the construction phase, the test focus. The optical splitter in a PON will bring a larger loss (such as a 1:32 optical splitter loss will be greater than 15dB), not only makes the light generating loss downlink, the uplink of the light will produce substantially the same loss. Splitter implementation techniques vary, making each optical path loss may exist differences, in order to strictly limit each optical path loss within the budget is a challenge.

Optical return loss is one of the difficulties of the current test. Optical return loss is not only a loss of energy, but also lead to the originator laser instability. Recommendations based on the ITU-TG.983 and G.984 series, optical return loss values should be in both directions. PON-based FTTH OTDR put forward new demands, requires not only support the 1490nm wavelength testing, but also with penetrating optical splitter. In addition, FTTH network transmission distance is shorter, but the introduction of the high loss of optical splitter requirements OTDR dynamic range wide enough selection of shorter OTDR dead; joints more requirements, high linearity.

In large-scale FTTH deployment phase, testing will be very heavy instrument automation has become one of the factors to be considered. FiberStore’s FOT-930 test instrument developed for this demand, the user simply one-button operation can be completed in the 10s three wavelengths (1310nm, 1490 nm and 1550 nm) bi-directional loss, optical return loss and fiber length test and automatically store test results.

Activation and maintenance, fault diagnosis stage, the most commonly used test instruments PON power meter. EPON or GPON system using time division multiple access technology, OLT and ONT need to activate in order to work, PON power meter has to trigger tests optical power capacity and support meter needs different optimization. FTTH construction early will also face business opened the challenges, many links need to manually construction service activation, as well as the opening of a long cycle, poor customer perception. Troubleshooting link, the failure rate and the declaration of DSL-more than twice the proportion of regional centers for processing, the door-to-door high.

FiberStore, EXFO, JDSU and other enterprises to provide FTTH is simple, fast, and a variety of intelligent solutions, provide strong support for FTTH construction.