GPON (Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks), the successor to the APON/BPON standard, is the latest variant of the passive optical network PON (Passive Optical Networks). It is described by the international standard ITU-T G.984.x.

GPON uses single-mode optical fiber for bidirectional transmission. It is based on point-to-multipoint (P2MP) technology, in which the central unit OLT (Optical Line Terminal) transmits and receives a signal from subscriber units ONT (Optical Network Terminal) or ONU (Optical Network Unit). The maximum distance between OLT and ONT points is 60 km, and the network span cannot exceed 20 km.

The GPON network allows for the transmission and reception of huge volumes of data - fiber-optic Internet, television and teleinformatic packages. GPON offers various types of connection bandwidths, but the most popular version is:

• 2.488 Gbit downstream (from OLT to ONT) using a 1490 nm wavelength,
• 1.244 Gbit upstream (from ONT to OLT) using a 1310 nm wavelength.

This is a passive technology in which the only devices requiring power are the OLT on the operator's side and the ONT on the service recipient's side. Thanks to the use of a splitter, the signal transmitted via one optical fiber can be divided into 32, 64 or 128 recipients.

If you are interested in data transmission networks, we invite you to read the entry on our  blog Infrastruktura sieci. Decyzja na lata