Experimental Demonstration of SCM-PON Monitoring with Baseband Embedded OTDR

The combination of subcarrier multiplexing and passive optical networks can provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for fiber and wireless convergence in access networks. Moreover, to reduce operational expenditures, a reliable monitoring technique should provide in-service evaluation of the physical layer. Here, we perform the experimental demonstration of an SCM-PON system with baseband embedded optical time-domain reflectometer monitoring. Different modulation formats were tested to evaluate the penalty generated by the monitoring system. Based on the long-term evolution downlink test model (E-TM 3.1), our results show negligible power penalty while achieving a ~12-dB dynamic range with 10-m spatial resolution.