Project description

Optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OOFDM) is one of the hottest optical communications technologies of today. The OCEAN project brings together world-class expertise to develop the OOFDM technology for applications in future optical access networks. The consortium consists of partners with the necessary know-how in research, mass production of electronic components, high-speed optical transceiver design and packaging, professional modelling of optical components and systems and system vendors . The overall objectives are to:

Develop world-first, commercially exploitable, cost-effective, versatile, >20Gb/s OOFDM transceiver modules with real-time performance monitoring and adaptive performance optimisation;
Develop commercially exploitable, >20Gb/s OOFDM PON system prototypes with per user link parameter awareness and performance optimisation, as well as management system features for upgrading installed legacy access networks;
Demonstrate OOFDM WDM PONs capable of supporting 32 wavelengths at 100GHz frequency spacing, >20Gb/s over >60km per wavelength channel with automatic and dynamic link performance optimisation.
Undertake comprehensive lab trials of the developed OOFDM prototypes in a carrier-like environment for successfully providing real-time services at >1Gb/s per subscriber.

A number of innovative solutions will be proposed, optimised and implemented, which range from key component technologies, OOFDM transceiver design and system architecture. The major targeted innovations are:

Development of optimised DACs/ADCs with suitable high-speed digital interfaces for FPGAs;
Optimisation of real-time DSP algorithms to considerably reduce the logic element usage and implementation complexity to allow enhanced transceiver functionalities and performances;
Novel OOFDM transceiver designs allowing low-cost components to be utilised but offering significantly improved signal capacity, enhanced system flexibility and performance robustness;
Colourless OOFDM WDM PONs.

Towards the end of the project, the following achievements will be made:

Commercially exploitable >20Gb/s OOFDM transceiver modules and >20Gb/s OOFDM PON system prototypes with the above-mentioned features;
Provision of “future-proof” end-to-end OCEAN solutions capable of offering multi-service capability with guaranteed QoS at minimum 1Gb/s and scalable capacities adaptive to the user link characteristics;
Comprehensive techno-economic analysis and OCEAN technology roadmap to drive inputs in standards fora;
Recommendations on the feasibility of utilising OOFDM to upgrade installed legacy access networks to provide end-users with >1Gb/s per subscriber

Project description

**Develop world-first, commercially exploitable, cost-effective, versatile, >20Gb/s OOFDM transceiver modules with real-time performance monitoring and adaptive performance optimisation;**

Develop commercially exploitable, >20Gb/s OOFDM PON system prototypes with per user link parameter awareness and performance optimisation, as well as management system features for upgrading installed legacy access networks;

Demonstrate OOFDM WDM PONs capable of supporting 32 wavelengths at 100GHz frequency spacing, >20Gb/s over >60km per wavelength channel with automatic and dynamic link performance optimisation.

Undertake comprehensive lab trials of the developed OOFDM prototypes in a carrier-like environment for successfully providing real-time services at >1Gb/s per subscriber.