Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1043933
50 I ICT TODAY on the topic. In March 2018, Gartner updated its ongoing POL research with a new study titled, Does POL Have a Future in Your Access Network? 2 In this study, it cited a growing number of Gartner client inquiries investigating POL and that the number of network integrators offering the POL solution continues to increase. Gartner's position was that POL is a mature technology, since it has been deployed by many large service providers for years. It also considers the technology an alternative to the traditional copper-based LANs, especially when new cabling infrastructure is required. Finally, Gartner recommends POL as an option when customers need extended Ethernet connectivity, experience talent shortage, or when network security is a top concern. Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) is a research and consultancy organization, providing specialist services in construction and building services. BSRIA tracks new trends in building construction and enterprise workplace design that are driving innovation in enterprise networks inside buildings and across campuses. BSRIA also has been tracking POL adoption over the past couple of years. Its reports highlight how building owners, developers and ICT decision-makers must reprioritize upgrades to the in-building technology backbone infrastructure to make the necessary changes to meet growing connec- tivity needs. The latest BSRIA global POL study, Passive Optical Local Area Networks (POL) 2018 3 , calculated that the POL market has a 46% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). BSRIA's growth projection for new POL projects is influenced by the overall maturing of the POL industry and the growing number of POL manufacturers and integrators both in North America and globally. "BSRIA's previous network cabling market brief cited that POL will experience significant growth, gaining market share and awareness in the LAN market, solidify- ing its position as a disruptive technology," said Martin Chiesa, BSRIA senior researcher. "Two years later, we have released the third edition of our POL report and found that POL has evolved faster than our most optimistic expectations." APOLAN has witnessed international expansion for POL in the past two years. This has come in the form of adding more international member companies to the organization. In fact, one of the factors for BSRIA's impressive CAGR growth projections is due to the entry of network equipment manufacturer heavyweights and the global scale that they can bring to a technology like POL. Furthermore, as a result of this increased demand for POL worldwide, APOLAN established committees covering the European and Asia Pacific regions. Industry Trends Driving Fiber-Based Enterprise LAN Growth In early summer of 2018, APOLAN conducted a survey among its members to solicit feedback about which industry trends POL could have the greatest positive impact. The top three responses were: • Wireless network infrastructure • Internet of Things (IoT) • LAN security Wireless Network Infrastructure POL can be deployed for wireless backhaul transport of access points traffic. It can do so via two architectures. First, there is the standalone static Wi-Fi architecture with no robust controller functionality. In this scenario, POL can provide the benefits of lower equipment cost, reduced energy and collapsed cabling infrastructure. There are also wireless access point (WAP) features and functionality integration that can be accomplished with POL via the centralized management platform. POL provides a greater system reach for improved performance and coverage for Wi-Fi service. When POL interoperates with established Wi-Fi vendors, it allows for Wi-Fi controller functionality to be provided by best of breed Wi-Fi manufacturers without limiting customer options. The controller