Silica microwires, if they could be manufactured or self-assembled in place, have the potential to operate as tiny optical interconnects, says a team of researchers from Australia and France. By carefully controlling the shape of water droplets with an ultraviolet laser, the researchers have found a way to encourage silica nanoparticles to self-assemble into uniform […]
The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) Physical and Link Layer Working Group has started work on a module interface implementation agreement for 400-Gbps long-haul transmission. Meanwhile, the OIF’s Carrier Working Group is being tasked with determining how software-defined networking (SDN) will impact the transport network. “There is nothing in the standards market today to use as […]
A three-year pan-European research project called DISCUS has been awarded €8.1 million in funding under the European Union 7th Framework Programme. The main objective of DISCUS is to produce an end-to-end network architecture based on long-reach passive optical networks (PONs) that scales economically when sustained customer bandwidths grow by three orders of magnitude or more […]
As the optical industry approaches the fundamental physical limits of optical transmission, researchers are exploring new ways to increase capacity by using multi-core fibre (MCF). Now NEC Corporation of America and Corning Inc. say they have set a new transmission record by sending data at 1.05 Pbps (1015 bits per second) over a novel optical […]
UK incumbent BT has set up a demonstration of 10Gbps broadband at an engineering firm in Cornwall. Electronic component manufacturer Arcol got a broadband speed boost from 1.5Mbps to 330Mbps when it subscribed to BT’s FTTP service. It was then selected by BT to try out the 10Gbps connection. The 10Gbps connection is […]
A new project being funded under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) aims to develop a new field-installable fibre-optic connector with performance comparable to factory pre-connectorized cables. The aim is to speed up the roll out of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks across Europe. Going under the moniker “Versatile Easy installable Connector implementing new […]
Teraxion has adopted silicon photonics technology for its latest compact 40- and 100-Gbps coherent receivers. The Canadian optical component company, better known for its fibre Bragg gratings and tunable dispersion compensation products, has spent the last three years developing expertise in silicon photonics. At the recent ECOC exhibition it announced its first products based […]
JDSU will soon bring to market its tunable SFP+ pluggable module, and has already delivered to equipment makers samples of the compact tunable laser design. The company, which demonstrated the tunable SFP+ at the recent ECOC exhibition, has not given a date when it will start production. “It won’t be long,” said Brandon Collings, […]