GPON

Special Topic 3 GPON Basic Concepts

3 GPON Basic Concepts

GEM Frame
In the gigabit-capable passive optical network (GPON) system, a GPON encapsulation mode
(GEM) frame is the smallest service-carrying unit and the basic encapsulation structure. All
service streams are encapsulated into the GEM frame and transmitted over GPON lines. The
service streams are identified by GEM ports and each GEM port is identified by a unique port
ID. The port ID is globally allocated by the OLT. Therefore, the ONUs connected to the same
OLT cannot use GEM ports that have the same port ID. A GEM port is used to identify the
virtual service channel that carries the service stream between the OLT and the ONU. It is
similar to the virtual path identifier (VPI)/virtual channel identifier (VCI) of the asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) virtual connection.
Figure 3-1 shows the GEM frame structure.

Figure 3-1 GEM frame structure

A GEM header consists of PLI, Port ID, PTI, and header error check (HEC) and is used for
differentiating data of different GEM ports.
l PLI: indicates the length of data payload.
l Port ID: uniquely identifies a GEM port.
l PTI: indicates the payload type. It is used for identifying the status and type of data that
is being transmitted, for example, whether the operation, administration and maintenance
(OAM) message is being transmitted and whether data transmission is complete.
l HEC: ensures the forward error correction (FEC) function and transmission quality.
l Fragment payload: indicates the frame fragment.
The following section describes the GEM frame structure based on the mapping of the
Ethernet service in GPON mode, as shown in Figure 3-2.

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GPON
Special Topic 3 GPON Basic Concepts

Figure 3-2 GEM frame structure

l The GPON system parses Ethernet frames and maps data into GEM payloads for
transmission.
l Header information is automatically encapsulated into GEM frames.
l The mapping format is clear and has good compatibility.

T-CONT
Transmission container (T-CONT) is a service carrier in the upstream direction in the GPON
system. All GEM ports are mapped to T-CONTs. Then service streams are transmitted
upstream by means of OLT's dynamic bandwidth assignment (DBA) scheduling. T-CONT is
the basic control unit of the upstream service stream in the GPON system. Each T-CONT is
identified by Alloc-ID. The Alloc-ID is allocated by the GPON port of the OLT, and the T-
CONTs used by ONUs connected to the same GPON port of OLT cannot have the same
Alloc-IDs.

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GPON
Special Topic 3 GPON Basic Concepts

Figure 3-3 T-CONT structure

There are five types of T-CONT. T-CONT selection varies during the scheduling of different
types of upstream service streams. Each T-CONT bandwidth type has its own quality of
service (QoS) feature. QoS is mainly represented by the bandwidth guarantee, which can be
classified into fixed, assured, non-assured, best-effort, and hybrid modes (corresponding to
type 1 to type 5 listed in Table 3-1).

Table 3-1 T-CONT types

Bandwidth T-CONT Type
Type
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5

Fixed X No No No X
Bandwidth

Assured No Y Y No Y
Bandwidth

Maximum Z=X Z=Y Z>Y Z Z≥X+Y

Bandwidth

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GPON
Special Topic 3 GPON Basic Concepts

Bandwidth T-CONT Type

Type
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5

Description l The fixed l The l This type l This type This type is
bandwidt assured is the is the the
h is bandwidt combinat maximu combination
reserved h is ion of the m of the fixed,
for available assured bandwidt assured, and
specific at any bandwidt h that can maximum
ONUs or time h and be used bandwidth. It
specific required maximu by an supports the
services by an m ONU, following
on ONU. bandwidt fully functions:
ONUs. It When h. The providing l Reserves
cannot be the system the bandwidt
used by bandwidt assures bandwidt h for
other h some h subscribe
ONUs required bandwidt required rs and the
even if by the h for by the bandwidt
no service subscribe ONU. h cannot
upstream streams rs and l It applies be
service on the allows to IPTV preempte
streams ONU is subscribe and other d by
are smaller rs to high- other
carried than the preempt speed subscribe
on the assured bandwidt Internet rs.
specific bandwidt h. services.
ONUs. h, the However, l Provides
system the total the
l It applies
can use used bandwidt
to
the DBA bandwidt h to an
services
mechani h cannot ONU at
that are
sm to exceed any time
sensitive
allocate the when
to service
the maximu required
quality.
The remainin m l Allow
services g configure subscribe
can be bandwidt d rs to
TDM or h to bandwidt preempt
VoIP services h. some
services. on other l It applies bandwidt
ONUs. to VoIP h. (The
l Because services. total used
DBA is bandwidt
required, h cannot
this type exceed
provides the
a less maximu
real-time m
performa configure
nce d

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Special Topic 3 GPON Basic Concepts

Bandwidth T-CONT Type

Type
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5

compare bandwidt
d with h.)
the fixed
bandwidt
h.

NOTE
In Table 3-1, X indicates the fixed bandwidth value, Y indicates the assured bandwidth value, Z indicates the
maximum bandwidth value, and No indicates not involved.

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