Opportunities, challenges and requirements for introducing space division multiplexing in fibre optical networks

Abstract

In the long-term, enabling data transmission over additional wavelength bands offered by the installed fibre infrastructure is not sufficient to satisfy the continuously increasing demand for capacity. In order to be prepared for future requests, space-division multiplexing (SDM) is moving into the focus of commercial equipment manufacturers and providers. Different options are pointed out and basic design features for new fibres are explained, in particular in view of multi-core fibres. In this regard, emphasis is put on detailing the importance of different geometrical parameters. Commercial deployment of SDM technology requires to bring cost down to a competitive level, which cannot be achieved with new fibres alone but requires the development of new kinds of components. Approaches to bring down cost for optical amplifiers, transceivers, and wavelength-selective switches are presented. Finally, an upgrade scenario for introducing SDM in commercial networks is discussed.