Freedom of choice of terminal equipment applies in passive optical networks
Year of issue 2025
Date of issue 2025.01.22
The Bundesnetzagentur has today published its decision in the proceedings on determining the network termination point in passive optical networks (PON).
"The free choice of terminal equipment at the network termination point, which applies to VDSL and cable networks, continues to apply to fibre optic networks, too,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
Several professional associations for the telecommunications sector had sought to obtain an exemption from the legally prescribed access to passive network termination points for passive optical networks. The reason given was the high susceptibility to interference of passive optical networks in which the final transmission section is used by several end-users.
The Bundesnetzagentur checked the arguments given against existing reports of interference, the countermeasures developed and the use made of them by the market. No justification was found for an exemption from the legal requirements. Although interference may occur in individual cases through the end-user directly connecting unsuitable terminal equipment to the passive optical network, such interference should be manageable to the same extent as for the cable and VDSL networks and be covered by the current legal requirements on terminal equipment causing interference.