ADVA (FSE: ADV) has announced its participation in the OptiCON project, an initiative funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that aims to develop technology capable of increasing the capacity of metro and core fiber-optic networks by 10X. Other participants include Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI, highstreet technologies, the Technical University of Munich, and VPIphotonics.
The OptiCON effort will explore such areas as unused optical spectrum, new types of fiber types, and novel transmission schemes in search of pathways toward greater optical network capacity. Use of “advanced amplifiers” and “novel transceivers” will be investigated within this context, ADVA says via a press release. The initiative also will address monitoring and SDN control.
“This project couldn’t be more vital. With optical transmission approaching the Shannon Limit and continual increases in per-channel speeds slowly coming to an end, we’re looking at disruptive ways to expand network capacity in the future. By using untapped spectrum, we can maximize the value of dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks and tackle soaring data demand from cloud, video, and mobile,” said Annika Dochhan, principal engineer, advanced technology, ADVA and OptiCON project lead. “OptiCON is about engineering the next-generation of transport networks and empowering operators to keep pace with the exponential traffic growth they are facing.”