Why are many office buildings ready for people but not for the modern network, and how PON solves the gap.
Offices are alive again: teams are scheduling in-person meetings small huddles are happening by proverbial water coolers, and companies are reimagining their spaces to support hybrid work. But while furniture and calendars got the refresh, the hidden infrastructure that enables modern work—the network—often did not.
Buildings that look ready on the surface can still be running on decade-old copper wiring, aging switches, and piecemeal upgrades that were never designed for today’s demands. That mismatch shows up as sluggish Wi-Fi, long device onboarding times, limited bandwidth for collaboration tools, and an IT backlog of expensive, disruptive upgrades. The result? Employees frustrated, facilities underutilized, and IT teams firefighting rather than enabling innovation.
Why So Many Office Buildings Are Behind
A few patterns keep showing up when we audit commercial networks:
- Incremental fixes, not strategic upgrades. Over the years, facility teams patch in new switches or add Wi-Fi access points to chase capacity—suitable for a quarter or two, but not for sustained growth.
- Copper is pervasive. Many office floors still rely on copper runs or legacy ethernet that can’t economically scale to multi-gig speeds for every desk and meeting room.
- Siloed decision-making. Real estate, facilities, and IT often move on different timelines—so network work gets deprioritized or squeezed into HVAC/refresh windows.
- Disruption aversion. Building owners fear the downtime and cost of ripping and replacing infrastructure, so they delay until problems are acute.
- New demands outpacing old designs. High-density video collaboration, remote desktops, AR/VR pilots, and IoT sensors require predictable, high-bandwidth, low-latency connections, expectations that older networks weren’t built to meet.
If you’re planning a successful return-to-office strategy, the network can’t be an afterthought. It’s the foundation that enables flexibility and modern services—or becomes their biggest constraint.
Why Passive Optical Networking is a Practical Answer
Passive Optical Networking (PON) is often missing from the conversation—ironically, because it’s both a mature technology and one people don’t always notice until they see its impact. PON replaces long copper runs and active switch cascades with fiber and passive splitters. Here’s why it makes sense for office buildings today:
- Future-proof capacity. Fiber keeps up as your bandwidth needs grow—no ripping and replacing cable every few years.
- Lower operational complexity. Passive splitters mean fewer powered devices in the field, reducing points of failure, power/cooling needs, and maintenance headaches.
- Curious about splitters? Check out this 2-minute read: Split Happens: The Amazing Science Behind Optical Splitters
- Simpler upgrades. With a centralized Optical Line Terminal (OLT)—the “brain” of the network—and fiber in place, upgrading edge bandwidth often becomes a software/config change rather than a physical rewire.
- Better security and quality of service. Fiber is less susceptible to interference and easier to segment, enabling stronger isolation for building management systems, guest networks, and corporate traffic. In summary, it’s a solid win for cybersecurity efforts.
- Space and power savings. Fewer floor switches and closet equipment frees valuable closet space and reduces electrical and cooling demands—helpful in dense urban buildings where real estate and power are premium.
- Pro Tip: Less space and power needed to operate PON means big wins for sustainability and green initiatives.
- Lower long-term costs. Many owners see reduced maintenance, lower energy bills, and less complex lifecycle upgrades, making PON the more cost-effective networking solution over the building’s lifetime.
- Want to see your savings in action? Demo the PON Total Cost of Ownership Calculator.
What a Practical PON-First Transition Looks Like
Interested in the benefits of PON but not keen on shaking things up? You don’t have to tear everything out tomorrow. A phased, risk-managed path helps buildings modernize their connectivity with minimal disruption:
- Audit the current state. Inventory copper runs, switch capacity, Wi-Fi coverage, and power/space in closets.
- Map use cases. Identify high-demand zones (conference areas, collaboration hubs, test labs) that benefit first from dedicated fiber.
- Start with the backbone and floors. Deploy fiber backbones and PON to floor distribution points; keep existing copper to desks while migrating as budgets allow.
- Converge services. Bring building systems (BMS, access control, guest Wi-Fi) onto the PON to reduce parallel cabling.
- Plan for future upgrades. Design the network capacity so future upgrades are largely non-disruptive software changes.
- Measure and iterate. Use baseline metrics—latency, throughput, device onboarding time—to prove the ROI and guide subsequent phases.
A Business-First View, not a Tech-Only Pitch
For owners, real estate teams, and CIOs, the conversation should focus on business outcomes: faster meeting joins, fewer support tickets, quicker office onboarding, more flexible floor plans, and lower running costs. For tenants, it’s about a consistent experience—high-quality video, instant device connectivity, and reliable guest services. PON connects both perspectives by making the network resilient, scalable, and easier to operate.
Quick Checklist: Is Your Building Ready for the Modern Return-to-Office?
- Do you have consistent multi-gig connectivity across high-traffic zones?
- Can you onboard a new conference room or office without a long wiring project?
- Are critical building systems running on isolated, resilient networks?
- Is closet space or power a limiting factor for adding network equipment?
- Do you have a plan to scale capacity without major physical overhaul?
If you answered “no” to any of the above, PON is a candidate worth exploring.
The Bottom Line on Modernizing Your Office Network
Returning to the office is more than a people and space problem—it’s an infrastructure moment. Buildings that invest in a future-ready network now will unlock the new hybrid experience employees expect while lowering long-term costs and operational headaches. Passive Optical Networking isn’t a trendy sidebar—it’s a pragmatic backbone for modern office life.
Tellabs can help guide your building toward a smarter PON transition—identifying opportunities, uncovering quick wins, and creating a plan that delivers long-term value.
Ready to enhance your team’s experience and efficiency? Let’s talk about your office network today.