GPON ou XGS-PON pour mon foyer ?

Si votre opérateur propose les deux options, prenez XGS-PON : 10 Gbps symétrique vs 2,5/1,25 Gbps. Permet d'absorber les usages 4K/8K, télétravail, gaming compétitif. La box XGS-PON est généralement compatible avec votre installation FTTH actuelle (même fibre, même PTO).

Pourquoi le GPON est-il dominant en France ?

Trois raisons : Standard UIT-T reconnu mondialement, écosystème vaste QoS riche indispensable pour multicast IPTV (Orange TV, Free TV) Sécurité AES-128 obligatoire pour les données opérateur L'EPON aurait été plus simple mais ne supportait pas nativement TDM/IPTV ni le chiffrement.

Combien d'abonnés sur un splitter GPON ?

Théoriquement 128 abonnés avec splitter 1:128. En France, les opérateurs déploient majoritairement en 1:64 (compromis qualité/densité) ou 1:32 (zones moins denses). Pour XGS-PON, on peut monter à 1:128 sans dégradation grâce aux 10 Gbps disponibles.

Distance maximale OLT-ONT en GPON ?

20 km standard avec un splitter 1:32 et budget optique 28 dB. Avec des modules optiques "extended reach" et splitter 1:16, on peut atteindre 40-60 km. Au-delà, passer en architecture point-à-point ou en NG-PON2 longue distance.

GPON résiste-t-il aux coupures de courant chez l'abonné ?

L'infrastructure GPON elle-même (fibre + splitter) est passive et résiste à toute panne électrique. L'ONT côté abonné en revanche nécessite l'alimentation 230V de la box. En cas de coupure : pas d'Internet ni de téléphonie VoIP. Solution : ONT/box avec onduleur intégré ou batterie externe pour assurer la continuité (notamment téléphonie d'urgence).

Peut-on mélanger GPON et EPON sur même OLT ?

Pas sur le même port PON : EPON et GPON sont incompatibles (longueurs d'onde, encapsulation différentes). En revanche, un OLT châssis peut héberger des cartes GPON et EPON séparées, chacune sur son propre splitter dédié.

L'IPTV passe-t-elle bien sur GPON ?

Excellemment. Le GPON utilise le multicast natif : une seule trame downstream est diffusée à tous les abonnés du splitter, ce qui permet de distribuer 100+ chaînes TV à 64 abonnés sans saturer la bande passante. C'est l'une des raisons pour lesquelles les opérateurs français ont massivement adopté GPON pour leur offre triple-play.

Où acheter splitteurs GPON et accessoires ?

Toute la gamme GPON Elfcam est en stock en France : splitteurs PLC 1×2 à 1×64, jarretières SC/APC, PTO, modules SFP+. Compatible XGS-PON (rétrocompatible). Devis volume via Assistance.

FTTH Guide

What is GPON? The dominant FTTH standard explained

Elfcam Technical Team

Updated on 21 April 2026 5 min read

GPON Gigabit Passive Optical Network architecture FTTH ELFCAM

GPON (Gigabit PON) is the ITU-T standard that powers the majority of residential FTTH deployments in France and Europe.

What is GPON?
Key characteristics
How does GPON work?
Why choose GPON?
GPON applications
Evolution: XGS-PON, NG-PON2
Compatible Elfcam components
FAQ

GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) is the ITU-T G.984 standard that massively dominates FTTH deployments worldwide, particularly in France where Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free use it as their main infrastructure. Proposed by the FSAN in 2003, it offers 2.488 Gbps download / 1.244 Gbps upload shared among 32-64 subscribers via a passive splitter.

This guide explains how GPON works, its technical characteristics, its advantages over the alternatives (EPON, point-to-point) and its evolution towards XGS-PON 10G.

What is GPON?

GPON stands for Gigabit Passive Optical Network. It is one of the standards in the PON (Passive Optical Network) family, standardised by the ITU-T under the reference G.984. The architecture is point-to-multipoint (P2MP): a single operator fibre serves several subscribers via a passive optical splitter.

Three elements make up a GPON network:

OLT (Optical Line Terminal) — active equipment on the operator side
PLC splitter — passive component (1×32, 1×64, 1×128) in a street cabinet or at the foot of a building
ONT (Optical Network Terminal) — subscriber equipment, translates the signal into Ethernet/WiFi

GPON is used by Orange Fibre, Free Fibre, SFR Fibre and Bouygues Bbox Fibre in nearly all of their residential deployments. It is the de facto standard of French FTTH.

Key characteristics of GPON

Parameter	Value
Standard	ITU-T G.984
Download speed	2.488 Gbps (2.5 Gbps)
Upload speed	1.244 Gbps (1.25 Gbps)
DL wavelength	1490 nm
UL wavelength	1310 nm
Max OLT-ONT distance	20 km (extendable to 40-60 km)
Max splitting ratio	1:128 (typically 1:32 or 1:64)
Encapsulation	GEM (GPON Encapsulation Method)
QoS	DBA, multi-class (T-CONT 1-5)
Security	AES-128 downstream encryption
Supported services	Internet, IPTV, VoIP, TDM

How does GPON work?

Downstream (OLT → ONT)

The OLT broadcasts in broadcast at 1490 nm to all the ONTs connected to the splitter. Each ONT only reads the AES-128 encrypted frames intended for it (identified by its ONT-ID). The total speed of 2.5 Gbps is shared.

Upstream (ONT → OLT)

The ONTs transmit at 1310 nm in time windows allocated by the OLT (TDMA, Time Division Multiple Access). This avoids collisions on the shared fibre. The OLT dynamically allocates bandwidth via DBA (Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation) according to each subscriber's needs.

WDM architecture

The two wavelengths (1490 + 1310 nm) travel simultaneously on the same fibre without interference — this is the principle of WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing), which enables full-duplex on a single strand.

Why choose GPON?

Infrastructure savings — one operator fibre serves 32-128 subscribers (vs 1 fibre/subscriber in point-to-point)
Rich native QoS — DBA, T-CONT, support for TDM/ATM/Ethernet
Strong security — mandatory AES-128 downstream encryption
Scalability — coexistence of GPON + XGS-PON on the same fibre
Maturity — 20+ years of operator deployments, vast ecosystem
Advanced OAM — standardised OMCI for remote management

GPON applications

Typical use cases:

Residential FTTH — Internet + IPTV + VoIP triple-play
FTTB — fibre to the building, internal distribution via G.fast
Multi-site enterprise networks — sharing of operator fibres
Hospitality / camping — Internet + TV distribution across multiple rooms
University campuses — fibre backbone covering several buildings

Evolution: XGS-PON, NG-PON2, 50G-PON

Standard	DL/UL speed	GPON coexistence	Status 2026
GPON	2.5 / 1.25 Gbps	Reference	Active standard
XG-PON	10 / 2.5 Gbps	Yes (WDM)	Transition
XGS-PON	10 / 10 Gbps	Yes (WDM)	Migration in progress
NG-PON2	40 Gbps (4×10G)	Yes (TWDM)	Niche
50G-PON	50 / 12.5 or 50 Gbps	Yes	Emerging

French operators are gradually migrating towards XGS-PON to offer 8 Gbps or even 10 Gbps plans (Freebox Ultra, Orange Livebox 7, Bouygues Bbox 8x). The coexistence of GPON + XGS-PON on the same fibre allows a gradual migration without changing the network.

Elfcam components compatible with GPON

Elfcam hardware for GPON

PLC splitters 1×4, 1×8, 1×16, 1×32, 1×64 — compatible with GPON and XGS-PON
OS2 fibre cables and SC/APC patch cords
Replacement PTO on the subscriber side
SFP+/SFP28 modules for OLT uplink
19" rack ODF trays for central distribution

Câble/Rallonge Fibre Optique Orange SFR Bouygues — Jarretière Simplex Monomode SC/APC à SC/APC OS2 Renforcée Blanc (Ref:319)

ELFCAM · Réf 319

1 142 ventes⚡ Livraison Express

★★★★½ (152)

Longeur (m) :

Prise Terminale Optique (PTO) à interface SC/APC (1 port, 2 ports et 4 ports) (Ref:2658)

Cable Fibre Optique SC/APC AVEC un PTO (Ref:3689)

Prise Terminale Optique (PTO) à interface SC/APC (1 port, 2 ports et 4 ports) (Ref:2658)

ELFCAM · Réf 2658

155 ventes⚡ Livraison Express

★★★★½ (20)

PTO :

Câble à Fibre Optique LC/UPC à LC/UPC OS2 Monomode

Câble à Fibre Optique LC/UPC á LC/UPC OS2 Duplex(Ref:425)

Câble à Fibre Optique LC/UPC á LC/UPC OS2 Duplex(Ref:425)

ELFCAM · Réf 425

149 ventes⚡ Livraison Express

★★★★★ (24)

Longeur (m) :

Câble à Fibre Optique LC/UPC à LC/UPC OM4 Duplex (Ref:1410)

ELFCAM · Réf 1410

424 ventes⚡ Livraison Express

★★★★½ (44)

Longeur (m) :

FAQ — GPON

1GPON or XGS-PON for my home?

If your operator offers both options, choose XGS-PON: 10 Gbps symmetrical vs 2.5/1.25 Gbps. It absorbs 4K/8K usage, remote working and competitive gaming. The XGS-PON box is generally compatible with your current FTTH installation (same fibre, same PTO).

2Why is GPON dominant in France?

Three reasons:

ITU-T standard recognised worldwide, vast ecosystem
Rich QoS essential for multicast IPTV (Orange TV, Free TV)
AES-128 security mandatory for operator data

EPON would have been simpler but did not natively support TDM/IPTV or encryption.

3How many subscribers on a GPON splitter?

Theoretically 128 subscribers with a 1:128 splitter. In France, operators mostly deploy in 1:64 (a quality/density compromise) or 1:32 (less dense areas). For XGS-PON, you can go up to 1:128 without degradation thanks to the 10 Gbps available.

4Maximum OLT-ONT distance in GPON?

20 km standard with a 1:32 splitter and a 28 dB optical budget. With "extended reach" optical modules and a 1:16 splitter, you can reach 40-60 km. Beyond that, switch to a point-to-point architecture or long-distance NG-PON2.

5Does GPON withstand power outages at the subscriber's premises?

The GPON infrastructure itself (fibre + splitter) is passive and withstands any power failure. The ONT on the subscriber side, however, requires the 230V power supply of the box. In the event of an outage: no Internet or VoIP telephony. Solution: an ONT/box with a built-in UPS or an external battery to ensure continuity (in particular for emergency telephony).

6Can GPON and EPON be mixed on the same OLT?

Not on the same PON port: EPON and GPON are incompatible (different wavelengths, different encapsulation). However, a chassis OLT can host separate GPON and EPON cards, each on its own dedicated splitter.

7Does IPTV work well over GPON?

Excellently. GPON uses native multicast: a single downstream frame is broadcast to all the subscribers on the splitter, which makes it possible to distribute 100+ TV channels to 64 subscribers without saturating the bandwidth. This is one of the reasons why French operators have massively adopted GPON for their triple-play offering.

8Where to buy GPON splitters and accessories?

The entire Elfcam GPON range is in stock in France: PLC splitters 1×2 to 1×64, SC/APC patch cords, PTO, SFP+ modules. Compatible with XGS-PON (backward compatible). Volume quotes via Support.

In summary

GPON is the dominant FTTH standard in France and Europe: 2.5/1.25 Gbps, 1:64 splitter, 20 km distance, rich QoS, AES-128 encryption. For new deployments, aim for XGS-PON (10G symmetrical) in coexistence on the same fibre.

Browse our compatible PLC splitters, OS2 cables and SFP+ modules for your GPON and XGS-PON deployments.

Elfcam Technical Team

FTTH and GPON architecture experts since 2018. More than 40,000 installations supported in France and Europe. We supply all the passive hardware components of a PON: splitters, patch cords, pigtails, PTO and SFP modules compatible with all operators.