Quality of service (QoS) in optical broadband access and metro network architecture

Abstract

Fibre-Wireless (FiWi) is a hybridized Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing-Passive Optical Network (DWDM-PON) with Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) as a means of providing higher bandwidth and efficient services. This research sought to develop and implement a framework for improved Quality of Service (QoS) for FiWi observing some specific QoS parameters namely: throughput, page response, traffic sent/received, traffic quality and traffic fluctuation. The methodology used was the experimental setup with simulation using OPNET. Two experimental beds were setup one with and the other without QoS using http heavy browsing. The research focused on converging DWDM-PON wired network as a backhaul to WiMAX wireless network in order to design a robust framework for QoS evaluation in FiWi. Broadband networks are widely used and dominate the access segment and support point-to-multipoint full duplex emulation systems allowing communication in both directions (i.e., uplink and downlink) simultaneously up to 1Gbps per channel per fibre. This research is based on providing QoS broadband access provincially covering both rural and urban areas. The obtained results show that high bandwidth allocation, low latency and reduced delay are key factors for achieving QoS in FiWi metro network architecture. FiWi accelerates triple play services, reducing core network traffic and ensuring very low latency and delay. Expedited forwarding (EF) and weighted fair queuing (WFQ) scheduling algorithm were used to maintain and show QoS traffic. The implications are there is a performance bottleneck in the existing broadband networks, this is central problem for both wireless and optical access. It causes packets to drop in the network because of network congestion. Existing copper networks offer limited diverse services and are postponing FiWi implementations. The beneficiaries of this study are the people of the North West province because this dissertation gives an implantation of how a FiWi network can be deployed. This dissertation educates the research community that FiWi is the future broadband network that provides QoS. BE service has less end-to-end delay when compared to WFQ due to the fact that WFQ needs to firstly assign packets with relevant weights before transmission. WQF is the best service supporting QoS.