{"title":"Optical access networks to support future 5G and 6G mobile networks [Invited]","authors":"Fabienne Saliou;Philippe Chanclou;Gael Simon;Jeremy Potet;Georges Gaillard;Joseph Zandueta;Dylan Chevalier","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.551629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.551629","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents an extended version of the ECOC 2024 invited paper on future converged fixed/mobile access networks in the 6G era. First, we outline the expectations for 6G from the perspective of a European operator, and then explore the potential optical network solutions that will support the future evolution of mobile networks. We identify key factors such as enhanced connectivity, efficiency, and flexibility, which will be enabled by technologies including AI, edge computing, HS-PON/PtP, VHS-PON/PtP, all-photonic networks, extended CTI, Open RAN, and other emerging features.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 7","pages":"C22-C29"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Soumplis;K. Christodoulopoulos;P. Kokkinos;A. Napoli;M. Hosseini;K. Yiannopoulos;E. Varvarigos
{"title":"Enabling extended access aggregation with light-trees and point-to-multipoint coherent transceivers","authors":"P. Soumplis;K. Christodoulopoulos;P. Kokkinos;A. Napoli;M. Hosseini;K. Yiannopoulos;E. Varvarigos","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.542492","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.542492","url":null,"abstract":"Traditionally, traffic from the access nodes is aggregated in metro-aggregation hubs over rings or horseshoes in a fixed configuration using multiple optical point-to-point (P2P) transceivers. However, this static setup limits dynamic scalability and often leads to inefficient resource usage and high costs, especially under increasing and varying traffic conditions. Coherent optical point-to-multipoint (P2MP) transceivers offer a promising solution for aggregation at this network level. These transceivers allow a single (aggregation) node to communicate with multiple (access) nodes simultaneously via digital subcarrier multiplexing (DSCM) technology. Additionally, their long-distance transmission capabilities enable the placement of the P2MP transceiver root deeper in the hierarchy. In this paper, we propose an extended access aggregation architecture that incorporates modified reconfigurable optical add–drop multiplexers (ROADMs) to support both traditional P2P and P2MP connections. This architecture allows the creation of light-trees to enable P2MP communication and hence to boost transmission flexibility and multiplexing gains. We propose a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to determine the optimal placement of P2MP transceivers and the establishment of light-trees, considering physical layer impairments (PLIs) and the required quality of transmission (QoT) for the connections. To tackle the high algorithm complexity, we also introduce a best-fit decreasing heuristic to efficiently exploit the trade-off between execution time and performance. Our simulation experiments using real network topologies showcase that our proposed architecture can greatly enhance multiplexing gains while considering the operational costs tied to network expansions and upgrades.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 4","pages":"249-261"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143619084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Catalina Stan;Dominique Verchere;Juan Jose Vegas Olmos;Idelfonso Tafur Monroy;Simon Rommel
{"title":"Dynamic-threshold-based pre-relaying for enhanced key allocation in quantum-secured networks","authors":"Catalina Stan;Dominique Verchere;Juan Jose Vegas Olmos;Idelfonso Tafur Monroy;Simon Rommel","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.544857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.544857","url":null,"abstract":"Quantum key distribution (QKD) is experiencing a rapid increase of interest due to its security advantages in the face of quantum computers. However, typical QKD deployments are point-to-point and limited in terms of distance, which significantly restricts their utilization for end-user applications. To overcome these restrictions, trusted relays are adopted as intermediate nodes to allow the transition to QKD networks (QKDNs), where one of the hallmarks is the key management system. In this work, we investigate different key allocation strategies as a method to enhance the performance of key management systems in QKDN from the perspective of key allocation success rate and key delivery delay. We first describe an upgrade model from classical to QKDN at three distinct network layers—quantum, key management, and service. Then, we propose a novel, to our knowledge, key allocation strategy leveraging the benefits of key storage and relaying as a solution to improve the QKDN performance. To achieve this, our method makes use of end-to-end virtual quantum key pools (VQKPs) implemented between non-adjacent nodes requesting key material. We introduce static and dynamic upper and lower threshold limits at the VQKP level, with the dynamic thresholds adapted according to application demand, to control the key distribution in the network and fill the pools ahead of end-user requests. We demonstrate through simulations that the introduction of thresholds achieves performance enhancement and explain the trade-off between the key allocation success rate and key delivery delay evaluation metrics in comparison with different on-demand key allocation strategies.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"233-248"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optical-access networks for smart sustainable cities: from network architecture to fiber deployment","authors":"Md Mosaddek Hossain Adib;Patrick Matalla;Christoph Fullner;Shi Li;Elias Giacoumidis;Christian Raack;Ulrich Menne;Michael Straub;Tarek Saier;Christoph Schweikert;Stefan Orf;Martin Gontscharow;Tobias Kafer;Michael Farber;Andre Richter;Rene Bonk;Sebastian Randel","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.542368","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.542368","url":null,"abstract":"With the steadily progressing digitization of our society and the migration into urban areas, digitized and highly connected smart cities have attracted much attention from the research community due to their impact on everyday life, potential for new innovations, and ability to reduce carbon footprints. The versatile applications, which are intended to improve life in cities in various aspects, have one thing in common—they rely on widespread, reliable, and high-performing communication networks. Therefore, optical-access networks will be a crucial part of the smart cities’ network infrastructure as they provide cost-effective and high-speed connectivity to antenna sites, residents, enterprises, businesses, and regional data centers in a point-to-multipoint topology. In this article, we address the overall impact of this urban transformation on such networks. We outline our vision of the future smart sustainable city, which will leverage advanced optical-access networks. Subsequently, the physical layer design of optical-access networks is analyzed in the context of point-to-multipoint network topology. This includes a 100-Gbit/s intensity-modulation and direct-detection passive optical network (PON) and a 200-Gbit/s coherent PON utilizing eight-digital subcarrier-based time- and wavelength-division multiplexing and coherent detection. We discuss artificial intelligence-based network monitoring and resource allocation. Next, we provide a techno-economical study for sustainable fiber deployment strategies. Finally, we report the results of a network demonstration for the remote assistance of a connected autonomous vehicle.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"221-232"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Gonzalez;F. Alhamed;H. Shakespear-Miles;S. Barzegar;F. Paolucci;A. Sgambelluri;J. J. Vegas Olmos;M. Ruiz;L. Velasco
{"title":"Near-real-time 6G service operation enabled by distributed intelligence and in-band telemetry","authors":"P. Gonzalez;F. Alhamed;H. Shakespear-Miles;S. Barzegar;F. Paolucci;A. Sgambelluri;J. J. Vegas Olmos;M. Ruiz;L. Velasco","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.533789","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.533789","url":null,"abstract":"The combination of highly dynamic network services requiring stringent quality of service (QoS), especially in terms of end-to-end (e2e) delay, together with capital and operational cost reduction cannot be faced using centralized software-defined networking (SDN) solutions only. In particular, such expected dynamicity requires autonomous near-real-time operation fed with pervasive telemetry to make per-service decisions that ensure the committed QoS, while reducing overprovisioning as much as possible. In this paper, we propose a distributed control architecture based on multi-agent systems (MASs) to assist the SDN controller in the control of network services near-real-time. Per-traffic flow telemetry data are collected from the packet nodes, distributed through the agents in the control plane, and analyzed to assure performance and to anticipate any degradation. Measurements feed flow agents, which are based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) models, to make routing decisions aiming at ensuring flow performance. In the case when QoS degradation is detected, we propose algorithms to analyze its cause, which can be a result of some bottleneck in the network. We show how the latter is detected and additional capacity is requested of the SDN controller, which in turn creates an optical bypass to provide additional capacity. The proposed solution is demonstrated experimentally on a federated testbed connecting UPC and CNIT premises. Focused first on the control plane, the feasibility of the proposed architecture and workflows is experimentally assessed. After that, the performance of the near-real-time operation is evaluated at the data plane to verify that the maximum e2e delay is not exceeded for multiple flows, showing the effectiveness of predictive QoS evaluation together with infrastructure and service reconfiguration.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"A247-A258"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143496589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new control and management architecture for SDN-enabled quantum key distribution networks","authors":"Peter Horoschenkoff;Jasper Rodiger;Martin Wilske","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.547074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.547074","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to address the challenge of designing secure and high-performance quantum key distribution networks (QKDNs), which are essential for encrypted communication in the era of quantum computing. Focusing on the control and management (CM) layer essential for monitoring and routing, the study emphasizes centrally managed software-defined networking (SDN). We begin by analyzing QKDN routing characteristics needed for evaluating two existing architectures and proposed new CM layer implementation. Following the theoretical analysis, we conduct a discrete-event-based simulation in which the proposed architecture is compared to an existing one, which serves as a performance baseline. The results provide recommendations based on use cases for which different architectures show superiority and offer valuable insights into the development and evaluation of CM architectures for QKDNs.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"209-220"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143496590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design with low cost of equipment for metro filterless optical networks","authors":"Oleg Karandin;Omran Ayoub;Memedhe Ibrahimi;Andrea Castoldi;Rosanna Pastorelli;Francesco Musumeci;Massimo Tornatore","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.527360","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.527360","url":null,"abstract":"Emerging 5G services are pressuring optical metro networks with unprecedented capacity requirements. To moderate the growth of operators’ expenses, several technical directions to design low-cost optical networks are being investigated. In this study, we elaborate on what we believe to be a novel approach to designing low-cost metro networks by jointly (i) removing costly wavelength selective switches (WSSs) and enforcing filterless optical network (FON) architecture, (ii) reducing the number of optical amplifiers (OAs), and (iii) reducing the number of installed transponders by intelligently placing amplifiers to maximize signal quality (SNR), so as to employ higher-order modulation formats. To quantify the achievable cost-reduction, we develop a quality-of-transmission (QoT)-aware planning tool, based on a genetic algorithm, for the joint optimization of fiber tree establishment (inherent to FON), OA placement, and transponder upgrades, considering multiyear traffic evolution. Results obtained over realistic metro topologies show that the proposed design achieves overall (8%–17%) equipment cost savings compared to baseline optical network deployment with WSSs in nodes and conventional placement of OAs.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"198-208"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143455356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pedro A. Loureiro;Bruno T. Brandao;Salma Yahyaoui;Fernando P. Guiomar;Paulo P. Monteiro
{"title":"On the design of efficient fiber-wireless architectures to enable multigigabit visible light communication","authors":"Pedro A. Loureiro;Bruno T. Brandao;Salma Yahyaoui;Fernando P. Guiomar;Paulo P. Monteiro","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.543005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.543005","url":null,"abstract":"The surge in demand for wireless communication has placed significant strain on existing radio networks, which are struggling to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of mobile and fixed wireless devices. In response to this challenge, industry and academia have collaborated to explore alternative radio access technologies capable of supporting this continuous growth. Visible light communication (VLC) has emerged as a promising alternative due to the hundreds of terahertz of unlicensed bandwidth available for wireless communication. Despite its undisputable potential for ultrahigh-speed communication, the interface between the VLC wireless access and the fiber distribution network is still largely unexplored. Notably, this issue becomes more challenging when dealing with multicolored VLC systems, such as those employing RGB multiplexing. Following this research gap, in this work, we focus our attention on the design of efficient optical/electrical interfaces that can synergistically merge the fiber and VLC sections of an integrated fiber-wireless network. To that end, two fundamental architectural options are proposed and experimentally assessed, resorting to either optical or electrical multiplexing of the VLC constituent colors. From our experimental analysis, similar RGB-VLC data rates of 13–15 Gbit/s could be achieved using both fiber-wireless interface architectures. The choice of the most adequate solution is then fundamentally dependent on a number of network design options and requirements. While electrical multiplexing is deemed to enable more spectrally efficient utilization of the fiber transport network, optical multiplexing provides a simpler infrared-to-visible interface using cost-efficient commercial off-the-shelf equipment.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"188-197"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143446254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enabling ROADM in mode division multiplexing networks with mode-selective switches","authors":"Sunami Sajjanam Morrison;S. Mohammad Reza Safaee;Zhaoqi Ma;Rebecca Rogers;Dusan Gostimirovic;Kaveh Rahbardar Mojaver;Odile Liboiron-Ladouceur","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.538478","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.538478","url":null,"abstract":"Mode division multiplexing (MDM) enhances optical communication systems by introducing an additional multiplexing dimension. We designed and validated a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) prototype using MDM as an optical subsystem targeting data center interconnects and metro optical networks. Our MDM-ROADM employs a mode-selective switch at each node, selectively de/multiplexing the first three transverse-electric (TE) modes. Key components are based on 220 nm silicon photonics, using subwavelength grating structures and inverse design methodology. Machine learning-based fabrication correction, via our tool PreFab, improved mode selectivity by 57% for mode-selective thermo-optic phase shifters. We also developed mode filters for two modes with a crosstalk of <tex>${-}{9};{text{dB}}$</tex> for <tex>${{text{TE}}_0}$</tex> and <tex>${-}{15};{text{dB}}$</tex> for <tex>${{text{TE}}_1}$</tex> within a 35 nm wavelength range. Experimental validation using <tex>${{text{TE}}_0}$</tex> and <tex>${{text{TE}}_1}$</tex> modes at 1555 nm shows an aggregate payload transmission of 80 Gb/s NRZ and a PAM-4 transmission at 40 Gbaud with a bit error rate of <tex>$1.1 times {10^{- 9}}$</tex> and <tex>$3.8 times {10^{- 3}}$</tex>, respectively.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"A234-A246"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143446208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Access point selection based on beacon signals in optical satellite networks","authors":"Yuanjian Zhang;Yongli Zhao;Dedong Zhang;Xiaodan Yan;Wei Wang;Yinji Jing;Nan Hua;Jie Zhang","doi":"10.1364/JOCN.537597","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.537597","url":null,"abstract":"Megasatellite constellations (MSCs) represent the forefront of satellite network development, encompassing a vast network of interconnected low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The satellites in MSCs will be interconnected with laser links, capitalizing on the laser’s impressive bandwidth and robust security features. This interconnectivity enables the provision of high-bandwidth and low-latency Internet services on a global scale. However, LEO satellite networks exhibit high dynamics, especially between satellite nodes and ground nodes. This poses challenges to the high-bandwidth communication capabilities and quality of service in satellite networks. In such cases, the selection of different satellite access points will significantly affect the performance of the communication. This paper proposes an access point selection algorithm that chooses access satellites based on information from the satellite’s beacon signals, achieving lower service latency and handover times. The algorithm innovatively leverages the regularity of the inter-satellite topology in large-scale satellite networks to evaluate access points, resulting in the selection of preferred access points. Simulation results show that the algorithm achieves access satellite service performance that reduces service latency by 13% and handover frequencies by 40% compared to random access satellite selection.","PeriodicalId":50103,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Optical Communications and Networking","volume":"17 3","pages":"163-177"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143403972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}