New telecoms architecture

A new project from the EU promises to improve telecommunications technology through the delivery of higher bit rates, resulting in lower-cost, faster access.

Titled FABULOUS (FDMA Access By Using Low-cost Optical Network Units in Silicon Photonics), the project aims to create a flexible communications architecture that is compatible with current infrastructures and uses low-cost components based on silicon photonics. Developing this technology is key to rolling out mass fibre-to-the-home ultrafast broadband digital telecommunications services according to the researchers.

FABULOUS’s components have been designed for Next-Generation Passive Optical Network technology (NG-PON2). NG-PON2 is the current telecommunications network standard for passive optical networks that allows users to receive digital radio, television and internet.

The project demonstrated passive optical networks that use frequency division multiplexing at the electrical level on a per-wavelength basis.

The system allows each optical network unit — the device installed in the user’s location — to handle its dedicated data traffic alone, and not the full aggregated bit rate as is currently the case for other NG-PON2 technologies. It also showed how its technology can be used in Passive Optical LANs, as well as potentially being used in 5G networks.

The FABULOUS project has created new silicon-based photonic integrated circuits, showing the potential of using silicon photonics in the telecommunications market. The project demonstrated a reflective upstream transmitter made of a silicon photonic integrated circuit (SiPIC). The system comprised a reflective Mach Zehnder modulator and its flip-chipped CMOS electronic integrated circuit driver. The two integrated circuits were linked using high-density, low-parasitic copper micro pillars.

FABULOUS carried out subsystem demonstrations to show the effectiveness of the standalone components. It also carried out a whole system demonstration of the full architecture using its optical network units and real-time data traffic.

The project found that designing the system and its components together is essential to paving the way for lower cost silicon devices to enter the telecoms market. FABULOUS is working with several large industry leaders and telecom operators, and the next steps for the project will be towards full standardisation of the technology.

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