FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Creating More Value From Your Fiber Plant

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Fiber is the established choice for connecting core sites. Now, it’s also becoming the dominant
medium for access to enterprises, public buildings and cell sites. The communication and data
services transported over those fiber networks are crucial for our working environments and
our social lives. Network unavailability caused by damaged fiber can create major problems
and even threaten the operation of critical infrastructures. Immediate action is indispensable.
Field forces need to be able to distinguish between issues caused by active devices and those
caused by passive cables. In-service fiber monitoring solutions are the most efficient way to
identify the root cause of link outages. This enables targeted action for highest service avail-
ability.

Time for Change

The value of proactive, in-service fiber link mon-
itoring is clear. It simplifies failure isolation, en-
abling fiber network providers to take immediate,
targeted action, while also preventing false alarms
and unnecessary truck rolls. This shortens the re- Who Benefits From Fiber Monitoring?
pair cycle, reduces the unavailability of a fiber link
and also speeds up installation and commissioning
1. Dark fiber providers
of fiber services.
Fiber providers can offer a higher value service, providing real-
time fiber integrity information.
So, why have service providers been reluctant to
implement in-service fiber monitoring solutions 2. Dark fiber customers
until now? Previous fiber monitoring systems were Fiber monitoring enables fast root-cause failure analysis,
optimized for reactive fiber measurement rather shortening repair cycles.
than in-service monitoring. Test equipment is typi- 3. Communication service providers
cally designed for portability and highest accuracy. Fiber failures are located without additional truck rolls, enabling
It frequently fails to meet the cost and availabili- efficient and targeted action.
ty requirements of in-service monitoring solutions. 4. Mobile network operators
Now, the latest innovation with optical components Transparent, non-intrusive monitoring of fiber links opens up the
and digital signal processing has provided the basis possibility of connecting mobile cell sites with any radio access
for economically feasible, in-service fiber monitor- technology.
ing systems.

In case of network failures, time is of the essence.

Fiber monitoring enables fast failure isolation and
rapid restoration of services. Higher network avail-
ability is a major benefit for customers, enabling
them to meet stringent business continuity require-
ments.

As well as fiber degradation, insertion of bending

couplers for eavesdropping can be identified by an-
alyzing real-time attenuation data.

Proactive, in-service fiber link monitoring for higher service

availability and access to real-time fiber integrity information

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Fiber Link Monitoring Saves the Day Bringing Light Into the Dark
A broken or accidentally disconnected fiber can dis- Why can you see a beam of light shining through
rupt mission-critical and revenue-generating ser- fog? It’s because light scatters as it passes through
vices. Fiber network providers frequently operate diffusing media or hits a reflective surface. The same
under stringent service level agreements (SLAs). principle applies to fiber monitoring. A test signal is
Their business depends on the ability to detect and sourced into a single mode fiber and the scattered,
isolate any problem in the network quickly and pre- reflected light is analyzed. This enables network
cisely. There’s no room for doubt and inefficiency. operators to identify fiber disturbances caused by
Fiber link monitoring provides accurate real-time micro-bending or water diffusion, increased atten-
information, minimizing downtime and maximizing uation from splices or fiber connectors, and broken
the value of fiber infrastructure. fibers or disconnected patch cables.

Simple and Efficient

Scattered and reflected light from measurement Reference Measurement
signals is used to calculate the loss profile of a fi-
ber link in real time. With such precise information, Demarcation
the operational team can immediately identify and 5 reflector
locate any problem on the link. An optical measure- Optical power [dB]
0
ment signal is generated and coupled into the fiber.
Analyzing the reflected light provides detailed in- -5
formation about the loss profile and disturbances Event 1
-10
on the link. The loss profile, shown in the diagram, Event 2
clearly indicates the location of the demarcation -15
reflector as the end-point of the fiber, which fre- 5.000 10.000 15.000 20.000 25.000
quently also represents the service demarcation. Distance [m]
There’s no interaction between the measurement
signal and the user data. Fiber monitoring is fully
transparent to user services.
ALM monitoring unit

Demarcation reflector
Far-end Head-end
device device

CPE CO
WDM coupler
Demarcation “Event 2” “Event 1”
reflector distance x2 distance x1
distance x0

ALM, our advanced link monitoring solution, dra-

matically alters how operators monitor their fiber
networks. This new technology is the smallest and
most cost-efficient fiber assurance product avail-
able on the market. Its core purpose is to proac-
tively monitor fiber plants and help operators to re-
solve any issues before they impact services. With
the ADVA ALM, operators are able to pinpoint faults
and eliminate any wasted repair efforts.

Non-intrusive monitoring using an independent

test signal and real-time analysis of reflected light

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Advanced Link Monitoring at Work Why Proactive Fiber Monitoring?

Our ALM is a unique plug-and-play fiber assurance
1. Degradations are identified before services are affected.
device for proactive fiber monitoring. It enables op-
erators to supervise their critical fiber infrastructure 2. Precise root-cause analysis avoids unsuccessful repair attempts.
with minimal and simple additions to their existing 3. Localizing failures shortens repair cycles.
network. The optical measurement signal gener- 4. Real-time information assures service quality.
ated by our advanced link monitoring solution is
5. Maintenance-free demarcation does not consume power.
coupled into a single mode fiber and reflected back
at the demarcation point. This test signal does not
interfere with user traffic on the fiber, enabling fully
non-intrusive monitoring of the fiber plant.

The seamless integration into our FSP Network Solution Components

Manager offers a range of sophisticated functions
including advanced alarm management and report- 1. Monitoring Unit
ing, trouble-ticket handling and a view of the entire Our ALM monitoring unit calculates a loss profile of
network status. the monitored fiber link by analyzing the reflected
measurement signal.

Fits All Your Applications Needs

Due to its innovative multifunctional design, our 2. WDM Coupler
ALM is the ideal solution for any fiber monitoring The test signal operates at a wavelength distinct
application. Procedures for continuous in-service from the user traffic. A WDM coupler combines both
monitoring, fast fault localization and accurate de- signals on the supervised fiber.
tection of small changes in fiber infrastructure can
be set up quickly, involving only a few mouse clicks.
Its multifunctional test capabilities enable our ALM
solution to accurately locate faults on access and
core links within distances of 100km and beyond.
It can test up to 16 fiber access services within 3. Demarcation Reflector
one minute. And it quickly detects intrusions that A passive demarcation reflector defines the service
threaten network integrity, regardless of whether hand-off point. It does not consume power and can
the services and applications provided on top of be applied even under harsh environmental condi-
the dark fiber service utilize uncolored, CWDM or tions.
DWDM optics. What’s more, our ALM device comes
in a compact and versatile housing.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Service providers and their customers require full
visibility of network integrity. Geographic informa-
tion systems show their fiber infrastructure clearly
and simply. Our ALM solution adds real-time health
information, enabling them to instantly detect and
locate any failure or degradation.

Our ALM management system provides an open

API for easy integration with the GIS system ap-
plied by the provider of the fiber infrastructure. The
graphical user interface makes fault isolation an
easy task even for service teams less familiar with
the technologies applied to monitor the links.

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Applying Fiber Link Monitoring Essential Use Cases

There are many good reasons for communication
1. Supervised dark fiber services: higher value with better SLAs
service and dark fiber providers to monitor their
fiber asset with advanced link monitoring. The 2. Service-agnostic demarcation: change services
system is simple to install and operate. It assures without site visits
service quality with real-time information on fiber 3. Monitoring layers in isolation: immediate fault isolation
integrity. Field forces can locate fiber incidents and for shorter repair cycles
initiate immediate counteraction. There’s no need 4. Securing a fiber link: protect against eavesdropping
for additional truck rolls for fault analysis. What’s
5. Sensor networks: monitor sites without power supply
more, dark fiber customers have a means to dif-
ferentiate between problems on their premises and
fiber failures.

The Merits of Passive Demarcation

Improving Service Quality
Today, active demarcation devices are installed at
Service providers want to maximize the value of a service hand-off point on the customer premises.
their fiber assets. By providing real-time informa- The very same information can also be gained by
tion on fiber integrity, latency and attenuation, they monitoring services at the central office, if fiber in-
can offer high-value advanced services. tegrity can be assured.

Customers benefit from this information in various Hence, central service monitoring in combination
ways. Network failures are remotely detected and with fiber link monitoring is an interesting alter-
isolated based on a comprehensive set of real-time native to active demarcation devices. Passive de-
information, without additional onsite visits. This marcation has obvious cost advantages, as shown
avoids time-consuming fault isolation and shortens in the cost curve. It compares the cost of our de-
repair cycles as countermeasures can be initiated marcation solution including installation with an
immediately. active demarcation device that has higher first-in
cost, adds operational cost for power and space as
Proactive fiber monitoring also detects malicious well as upgrade cost from the introduction of new
attacks on a network as coupling devices for eaves- services.
dropping cause additional attenuation that can be
detected on the loss profile of the fiber link.

Cost
False alarm This cost can be avoided with
passive network demarcation
OPEX: power
and space

Upgrade to higher
capacity

Cost of passive network

Installation demarcation
Time

The diagram highlights the significant OPEX advantage of passive versus active demarcation. Passive
demarcation assures availability of the fiber link at lowest cost. On the other hand, active demarcation
can provide additional OAM information and resiliency by local switching.

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

Monitoring Network Layers Independently

There are various problems that can disturb a net- tween them and identify the root cause, let alone
work connection. There might be a failed interface the location of the problem. This is where monitor-
card, a dirty fiber connector, a misconfigured router ing of the physical transmission media comes in.
or a broken fiber. If the problem is analyzed by a Results from fiber link monitoring enable a service
network management system optimized to control provider to immediately understand the root cause
an active network element, all problems look very of a problem.
similar and the operator cannot differentiate be-

Securing a Connection
With Link Monitoring
Fiber optical transmission systems are potentially
at risk of being intercepted. An attacker might in-
troduce a bending coupler or a splitter into a fiber
link in order to gain access to the optical signal and
to the user data being transmitted. The insertion of
those coupling devices adds attenuation at a dis-
crete point on the link. Such suspect signatures can
be used to detect malicious attacks.

When an attacker introduces a coupler into a fi- Bending coupler

ber link, the additional loss can be detected by a
link monitoring system. This improves the integrity Unmasking an attacker
of fiber links and secures communication against with real-time monitoring of fiber loss
eavesdropping.

Securing a Site
With Link Monitoring
Some sites along a fiber link need to be monitored
but have no available power. In cases like this, such
as manholes that need to be managed and con-
trolled, active devices can’t gather local information
and transmit it to a central control site. Vandalism
is often reported, ranging from removing a cover to
cutting through cables. To minimize negative im-
pact, immediate action needs to be taken.
Manhole cover opens
If a service provider wants to monitor such sites,
there’s a simple solution: applying fiber sensors in
combination with link monitoring solutions. Fiber
sensors transform mechanical stress into attenu-
ation, which can be measured remotely. There’s a Fiber sensor
wide range of sensors for monitoring torsion, tem-
perature and humidity for deployment at remote Passive, remotely monitored fiber sensors for
sites. In most cases, a spare fiber will be used to measuring pressure, humidity and temperature
access these passive sensors.

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 FIBER ASSURANCE SOLUTIONS

A Range of Different Devices or a Single

Assurance Solution for All Services?
– Your Choice
Today’s communication networks are built on a Capacity
connectivity infrastructure applying a range of Dark Fiber
interfaces, such as OTN for high-capacity, fixed ALM
bandwidth connectivity, Ethernet for packet con-
100Gbit/s
nections, CPRI in the mobile fronthaul network or
3G-SDI for 4K native video signals. Each interface FSP 3000
FSP 3000
comes with different service assurance capabilities 10Gbit/s Ethernet Optical
and different management tools. In consequence, NT NT
service providers will apply a range of demarcation
1Gbit/s
FSP 150
devices aligned with the needs and capabilities of
different services. Fiber link monitoring minimizes
the range of network demarcation devices needed.
100Mbit/s
And, as fiber monitoring is agnostic to the commu- Application
nication service, a single assurance technology can
be applied with any technology. Agnostic Ethernet Ethernet Others
over OTN over OTN

Product Application

Ethernet and IP service demarcation over

FSP 150 ProNID family Ethernet, MPLS and IP networks with rich set of
OAM functions

Ethernet service demarcation over OTN

FSP 3000 Ethernet NT networks providing both OTN and Ethernet end-
to-end OAM

SDH, OTN, Ethernet, 3G-SDI, transparent

FSP 3000 Optical NT
bitrate over OTN networks featuring OTN OAM

Service-agnostic, non-intrusive link monitoring

ALM using a passive demarcation reflector at the
remote site

ADVA Optical Networking offers a rich set of net-

work demarcation devices, which can be applied in
a wide range of applications. Our ALM device com-
plements the solution portfolio with a service ag-
nostic monitoring technology that does not require
an active component at the remote end. The above
table provides an overview of the different demar-
cation technologies complementing our proactive
fiber assurance solution.

Service-agnostic fiber monitoring and

proactive service assurance with our ALM solution

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 SETS A NEW
BENCHMARK
FOR FIBER
ASSURANCE

For More Information About ADVA Optical Networking

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