Breakthrough prototoype technology from Bell Labs will increase
optical network capacities by more than tenfold and overcome the
capacity threshold set by 'the Shannon limit' on standard fiber
PARIS, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bell Labs, the
research arm of Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has
made a breakthrough in its ambition to shatter the capacity limits
of optical networks as they strive to meet the explosion in traffic
expected from 5G and the Internet of Things.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150623/225058LOGO
According to a study by Bell Labs, telecommunications operators
and enterprises are witnessing rapid network data traffic growth at
cumulative annual rates of up to 100 percent. With the promise of
5G wireless technology on the horizon, Bell Labs estimates that,
within about a decade there will be an acute need for commercial
optical transport systems capable of handling Petabit-per-second
capacities.
With this demand threatening to outstrip the capacity limits of
current optical fiber networks, at the 2015 IEEE Photonics
conference Bell Labs revealed an optical networking technology that
could potentially help operators address this expansion: a
real-time space-division multiplexed optical
multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO-SDM) system.
This world's first demonstration of the Bell Labs' pioneered
MIMO-SDM technique has the potential to increase today's 10 to 20
Terabit-per-second fiber capacities to Petabit-per-second capacity
- the equivalent of 1,000 Terabits/s. The successful 6x6 MIMO-SDM
real-time experiment using six transmitters and six receivers in
combination with real- time digital signal processing was conducted
over a 60-km-long coupled-mode fiber in Bell Labs' global
headquarters in New Jersey.
Using the MIMO-SDM technique, Bell Labs aims to overcome the
capacity limitations imposed by the non-linear 'Shannon
limit' on current optical fiber. This sets a fundamental threshold
for the maximum information transfer rate on a single optical fiber
used in today's metro and long-haul transport networks.
Commenting on this breakthrough, Marcus
Weldon, CTO of Alcatel-Lucent and President of Bell Labs
said: "This experiment represents a major breakthrough in the
development of future optical transport. We are at the crossroads
of a huge change in communications networks, with the advent of 5G
Wireless and cloud networking underway. Operators and enterprises
alike will see their networks challenged by massive increases in
traffic. At Bell Labs we are continuously innovating to shape the
future of communications networks to meet those demands."
Key Facts
- Bell Labs has demonstrated a world's first prototype technology
– a 6x6 real-time optical MIMO transmission system - that will push
the limits of optical transport network capacity to meet future
traffic demands.
- Using the MIMO-SDM technique, Bell Labs aims to overcome the
non-linear Shannon limit of currently deployed optical fiber.
During the 6x6 real-time MIMO transmission technology experiment,
crosstalk from multiple signals on a special fiber supporting six
parallel optical signal paths was removed for the first time using
real-time processing. This breakthrough brings the technology a
step closer to reality compared to previous experiments using
off-line processing.
- The MIMO-SDM technique has the potential to increase current
fiber capacities to a Petabit-per-second — enough capacity to allow
two-thirds of the U.S. population to simultaneously stream HD
movies over a single optical fiber.
- Alcatel-Lucent announced the first commercially available
single-carrier 100G technology in June 2010 and the first
commercially available 100G/200G single-carrier line card in 2014,
that can deliver up to 24 Tbps capacity. In 2013 Alcatel-Lucent
announced the first deployment of a 400G superchannel optical link
with FT Orange with a capacity of 17.6 terabits-per-second, based
on the 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE), co-developed by Bell
Labs.
- Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent, has been the
leading source of new communications technologies since 1925,
playing a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting key
communications technologies such as lasers and fiber-optic
communications systems. Its optical networking achievements and
breakthroughs include the invention of Dense Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (DWDM), the introduction of non-zero dispersion fiber,
the first worldwide 100 Gigabit Ethernet field trial, and advanced
optical modulation and coherent detection technology.
Additional Links:
- Bell Labs Technical Journal: Spatial multiplexing In fiber
optics: The 10x scaling of Metro/core
- The Future X Network: A Bell Labs Perspective
- Bell Labs Modulations & Multiplexing
- Alcatel-Lucent Agile Optical Networking
- Video: More than Moving Light
- Alcatel-Lucent 1830 Photonic Service Switch
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
Alcatel-Lucent is the leading IP networking, ultra-broadband
access and cloud technology specialist. We are dedicated to making
global communications more innovative, sustainable and accessible
for people, businesses and governments worldwide. Our mission is to
invent and deliver trusted networks to help our customers unleash
their value. Every success has its network.
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the
Alcatel-Lucent blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow
the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.