topic Re: Doing away with the ONT in Full Fibre

Doing away with the ONT

Jovin123 — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:15:28 GMT

When we changed to FTTP last year it seemed like a bit of a retrograde step to have a separate ONT with it's cables and power requirement. This is especially true since I bought a Fritz!box 5530 which has it's own currently unused GPON fibre port that could render the Openreach ONT redundant.

I understand the ONT is registered on the Openreach system and I wondered if anyone had any knowledge or rumour as to when it may be possible for a customer to register their own device or know the practical and/or technical reasons why it's not (as far as I know) currently possible.

Best regards to All

John

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Baldrick1 — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:32:25 GMT

@Jovin123
I suspect that whilst this might be technically feasible, it comes down to contractual boundaries. The Openreach supplied service interface to the property is the output of the ONT, not the fibre entering your premises. I doubt this will change.

I have read that there are Altnets who connect the incoming fibre directly to the router.

Re: Doing away with the ONT

MisterW — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:41:59 GMT

or know the practical and/or technical reasons why it's not (as far as I know) currently possible

On the FTTP network, downstream data is broadcast to all ONTs on the circuit. Data is identified with the ONT ID so that only the ONT with the correct ID actually receives the data. See here https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/switches/catalyst-pon-series/216230-understand-gpon-technology.html

As you say, the ONT ID is registered on the Openreach system so that the correct data is received.

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Jovin123 — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:47:05 GMT

@Baldrick1

OK Thanks for that. I wonder if it a similar scenario as when broadband first became available and required an engineer visit to install a modem. If so I suppose that could change in the future but it's probably not a good idea to hold my breath waiting! 🤣

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Jovin123 — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:53:15 GMT

@MisterW yep I get (basically) how it currently works. I guess to be able to register your own device a standard would have to be devised and implemented in order to do so. Knowing how slowly the wheels of industry turn I suspect this might take a while!

Re: Doing away with the ONT

bmc — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:58:21 GMT

@Baldrick1

B4RN is one such Altnet. They have an internal box about the size of an ONT which simply acts as a connection point (no power required). The Zytel router is connected via a short Fibre Optic lead and acts as the ONT.

Brian

Re: Doing away with the ONT

krusty — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:02:10 GMT

whilst sfp+ pon transceivers exist, and also so does ont-routers exist, there is the network boundry which currently for OR is the ont. To move it to either the csp or the router would cause alot of problems.

The ont only uses around 3 to 6w (more 3 from memory), it also becomes upgradable or replaceable without other network equipment being displaced.

its not a retrograde move but one of flexibility - unless you like the "all in one box" ideal

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Mark63 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:55:09 GMT

Is it really a good idea for uncontrolled members of the public, to have the ability to pull out the fibre, and blind themselves with invisible laser light, by looking down the fibre, looking for a bright light ?

Although I've seen publically (un)pluggable fibres on combined ONT/Routers abroad

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Jovin123 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:23:49 GMT

@Mark63
How is that different to pulling the fibre cable out of the current Openreach ONT?

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:20:24 GMT

Do not look down fibre with remaining good eye.

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Mark63 — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 20:03:11 GMT

@Jovin123 wrote:
@Mark63
How is that different to pulling the fibre cable out of the current Openreach ONT?

Because there's no need to. If you liberate the situation with a customer defined/supplied ONT/Router, then unplugging of the fibre etc is going to occur

Re: Doing away with the ONT

RealAleMadrid — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 20:27:25 GMT

@Mark63 And exactly the same thing could occur if a user pulls the fibre out of the openreach ONT, just because there's no need to do it, it's still going to happen. Also the light from the fibre is outside the visible range and deemed not harmful.

Re: Doing away with the ONT

Mark63 — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 17:25:55 GMT

@RealAleMadrid wrote:

@Mark63 And exactly the same thing could occur if a user pulls the fibre out of the openreach ONT, just because there's no need to do it, it's still going to happen. Also the light from the fibre is outside the visible range and deemed not harmful.

Just because it's invisible (it's infra red) it's not implicit it can not damage the retina !

https://www.laserfocusworld.com/optics/article/16548502/eye-hazards-may-lurk-in-optical-fiber-networks

You might be right, that the power used for domestic FTTP etc isn't harmful

Re: Doing away with the ONT

jab1 — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 17:28:19 GMT

Playing devils advocate here, maybe, but are there any reported instances?