URUMQI, CHINA – Huawei, a global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, announced the completion of Embedded OTDR (eOTDR) commercial use tests on the Xinjiang branch of China Telecom’s live network. The tests have validated eOTDR test and diagnosis function for optic fiber, and will speed up the commercialization process of eOTDR.
When China Telecom deployed its large-scale FTTx networks, the company faced significant fiber maintenance issues, including fiber cuts caused by construction or rodent damage, and detached and dirty connectors. China Telecom dispatched engineers into the field to analyze and locate faults on site. They attempted to locate the faults on a span-by-span basis, but this was a slow and inefficient process. China Telecom was in urgent need of a testing and diagnosis system to locate and demarcate faults and to simplify operations and maintenance. In addition, the system needed to proactively report alarms in the event of any deterioration in optical network performance, so the O&M engineers could promptly repair and improve the network.
OTDR-embedded Optical Modules
An optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR), uses scattered and reflected light to measure transmission quality along optical fibers, and is primarily used for fiber testing and troubleshooting. Huawei’s eOTDR（Embedded OTDR）is an OTDR system embedded in an OLT PON optical module, is compatible with the Line Assurance System iManager N2510, and can effectively identify physical connections and optical fiber attenuation. OTDR-embedded optical modules are the same size as standard optical modules and can be easily deployed on an FTTx network to assist with troubleshooting. This technique does not require serious network reconstruction, such as fiber connection modifications or optical network terminal (ONT) adjustment, nor does it interrupt services during the troubleshooting process. This technique effectively improves fiber troubleshooting efficiency and reduces management costs, and was therefore an ideal solution for China Telecom’s FTTx network fiber testing and maintenance.
Testing Completed Across Entire Live Network
China Telecom implemented Huawei’s iManager N2510/eOTDR solution and completed testing across their entire live network. The test results demonstrated that this solution can locate all backbone fiber faults and the majority of branch fiber faults, work with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to demarcate faults and effectively reduce 40 percent of O&M field engineer workload. Moreover, once ODN construction is completed, this solution can test fiber quality and maintain quality data, report alarms in the event of quality deterioration by implementing periodic testing and facilitate rapid response troubleshooting to reduce compliant and improve customer satisfaction. China Telecom has endorsed the test results.
