Active Ethernet vs GPON - the price of fibre in South Africa

Jan

Jan

Who's the Boss?
Staff member
Joined
May 24, 2010
Messages
13,690
Reaction score
11,440
Location
The Rabbit Hole
Why you pay more for faster fibre in South Africa

For fibre network operators who have built their infrastructure using Active Ethernet technology, it costs them no more to offer a 10Mbps line than it does 1Gbps.

Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), an alternative technology, works on different principles. It offers cost savings but at a performance penalty.
 
“For this reason, companies who are taking ‘enterprise’ services provisioned over GPON must be out of their minds,” Fialkov stated.

“An enterprise service provisioned over GPON is like buying a second-hand car — all the specs are the same as a new car, but you have no idea what you are getting until you have got it.”

He also said that with GPON, if the service says 100/100Mbps you have no idea whether the FNO has done that by contending the fibre to minimise their cost per port or kept it uncontended and increased their cost.
Click to expand...

Anybody on openserve not getting what they're paying for?
 
:popcorn: GPON vs Active Ethernet:)

Eish if FNO's are indeed running 128 Splits on their PON's then that is a problem in 2021, I would not want to be a customer on that network. Most I have seen are 1:16 and max 1:32 which is, considering statistical multiplexing, reasonable.
 
so in essence those on Gpon can justify the different prices for different speeds, whereas on Active Ethernet they should just be giving us at least 1Gbps
 
eddief1 said:
:popcorn: GPON vs Active Ethernet:)

Eish if FNO's are indeed running 128 Splits on their PON's then that is a problem in 2021, I would not want to be a customer on that network. Most I have seen are 1:16 and max 1:32 which is, considering statistical multiplexing, reasonable.
Click to expand...
Makes me think about Openserves new 500mbps package. How many times do they split if max dl is 2.5gbps?
 
So, in short, Active Ethernet better than GPON in the long run? That is, upgrading your customers to a faster line, by not doing a massive overhaul of the network?

All this technical jargon make me confused.
 
mathebus said:
Makes me think about Openserves new 500mbps package. How many times do they split if max dl is 2.5gbps?
Click to expand...
Remember the 2.5gbps is per port on the OLT

AFAIK each splitter you loose x db of signal, so you can not run as far, so the FNO will not always jump in a split to the max

The number of splits will probably vary on different parts of the network based on the design, and additions to the network after the initial build.

eg
1 splitter at the OLT
1 splitter at the curb box
then maybe 1 splitter for each street etc

Where a block of flats may get their own port on the OLT and a splitter in the building
 
Can Laurie then give us a heads up on how to find out if you've been split many times by the FNO and ISP. I surely don't split my money to pay the ISP. Why can they not play open cards on what you actually paying for. I do not mind paying for a decent service and getting what i actually pay for.

Who regulates the FNO's and ISP's and why are they getting away with it.

I don't mind paying for an uncontested 1Gbps line
 
wingnut771 said:
AFAIK
Everyone + vuma aerial = GPON
Vuma trenched = active ethernet
Click to expand...

Good to know.

Vuma just finished trenching here 3 days ago...awaiting my activation. Our complex signed an agreement for 100/50.
 
Last edited:
Jan said:
Why you pay more for faster fibre in South Africa

For fibre network operators who have built their infrastructure using Active Ethernet technology, it costs them no more to offer a 10Mbps line than it does 1Gbps.

Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), an alternative technology, works on different principles. It offers cost savings but at a performance penalty.
Click to expand...
A better question would be to answer would be why we pay more for slower Fibre packages on overpriced providers like Vuma.

As consumers we generally have no issues paying more money to receive better value.
 
Totempole said:
A better question would be to answer would be why we pay more for slower Fibre packages on overpriced providers like Vuma.

As consumers we generally have no issues paying more money to receive better value.
Click to expand...
Because they can get away with it. It's obviously not regulated and some people are getting kick backs for sure
 
KOPITE said:
Can Laurie then give us a heads up on how to find out if you've been split many times by the FNO and ISP. I surely don't split my money to pay the ISP. Why can they not play open cards on what you actually paying for. I do not mind paying for a decent service and getting what i actually pay for.

Who regulates the FNO's and ISP's and why are they getting away with it.

I don't mind paying for an uncontested 1Gbps line
Click to expand...

Its not quite that dramatic, GPON is split by design. You must remember that regardless of how many times the PON is split there is still 2.xGbps downstream. Unless that 2.xGbps is totally utilized packets will flow and no difference between AE & GPON basically - If the port is saturated you will see packet loss.
 
KOPITE said:
I surely don't split my money to pay the ISP. Why can they not play open cards on what you actually paying for. I do not mind paying for a decent service and getting what i actually pay for.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? If you sign up and pay for a 100Mb/s service you will get that service.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter