Gigabit Access Multiplexer (GAM) Solutions

Bringing fiber technologies to existing Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) and Multi-Tenant Units (MTUs) can be expensive, costing up to $600 USD per tenant. Positron’s G.hn technology offers a cost-effective solution. It delivers managed non-blocking symmetrical Gigabit bandwidth internet services to subscribers over existing phone line connections or coaxial cables, covering extended distances. 

With reduced complexity and lower costs compared to older copper broadband solutions such as G.fast, Positron’s G.hn technology is the ideal choice for providing high-speed internet to brownfield MDUs and MTUs.

Each G.hn subscriber port supports up to 1.7 Gbps of dynamically allocated bandwidth for near symmetrical Gigabit download speeds and upload speeds over the existing phone lines or coaxial cable. The Positron GAM solution is MEF CE 2.0 compliant and is ideally suited to deliver Business Ethernet services in an MDU and/or MTU deployment.

The GAM is designed to optimize coverage in an MDU / MTU over the existing wiring infrastructure to avoid the high cost of installing new fiber inside these buildings. While operation over twisted-pair wiring is always Point-to-Point, when using a 24-port GAM it is possible to serve up to 384 G.hn subscribers when using a coaxial infrastructure in Point-to-Multipoint mode with standard coax splitters (up to 1:16 per port). The GAM terminates the links with a G.hn client device such as the Positron G1001-M or G1001-C managed end-points from Positron. Compliant Residential Gateways with built-in G.hn client support or with SFP ports are also fully supported.

Benefits of G.hn over G.fast and GPON in addressing MDU Challenges The key differentiators between G.hn, G.fast and GPON for Gigabit Internet services in an MDU are:

Benefits of G.hn over G.fast and GPON in addressing MDU Challenges The key differentiators between G.hn, G.fast and GPON for Gigabit Internet services in an MDU are:

The Positron GAM takes advantage of Positron’s SDN-ready VIRTUOSO software Domain Controller to control and manage GAM devices. VIRTUOSO presents a native management interface to the existing OSS and BSS systems of operators. VIRTUOSO can operate either as a standalone management plane server or under the control of standard-based Orchestration Platforms, such as OpenDaylight and others.

When interfacing with an ILEC or CLEC, the VIRTUOSO Domain Controller instantiates Virtual CPE (vCPE) devices for each G.hn end-node handled by a GAM. This approach maintains the native CPE management (for instance TR-069 or SDN) in the context of an MDU served by one or more GAM. The Internet traffic is handled transparently via the OLT and through a standard Aggregation Switch (Layer-2 EVC) or Router (Layer-3 IPv4 / IPv6).

The same approach is leveraged when interfacing with a Cable MSO with native support for the CableLabs DOCSIS Provisioning over EPON (DPoE) specification. The Positron GAM directly supports OLT/DPoE Server implementation that uses the IEEE 802.3 Service OAM standard defined in the DPoE specification. The VIRTUOSO platform is used when interfacing to a DPoE Server implementation that uses SDN on its southbound interface.

When deployed with the optional GAM Captive Portal, the Positron GAM family facilitates subscriber’s Self Installation with Zero-Touch Provisioning and Automated Activation. Automatically adding new subscribers has never been easier. The GAM Captive Portal facilitates the use of Self-Registration (walled-garden) Portals to guide new subscribers during the registration and activation process. The GAM Captive Portal facilitates seamless wireless internet roaming across the MDU common areas covered with Wi-Fi.