NEWS APPLICATIONS


Huawei expands European photonics research


Imec, a nanoelectronics research centre, and Huawei have announced a further step in their strategic partnership focusing on optical data link technology. Huawei has now joined imec’s research programme, which focuses on optimising bandwidth density, power consumption, and thermal robustness. The joint research on silicon-based


optical interconnects is expected to deliver benefits including high speed and low power consumption. In 2013, Huawei acquired the leading


photonics company Caliopa, spun off from imec and UGent, thereby adding silicon photonics research to its European R&D portfolio. Luc Van den hove, president and


CEO at imec, said: ‘This is an important next step in our collaboration with Huawei on silicon photonics. This collaboration, together with Huawei’s recent acquisition of our spin-off Caliopa that focuses on developing silicon photonics-based optical transceivers for the telecommunications industry, shows that our silicon photonics research is important for advancing next-generation high-bandwidth ICT solutions. We expect this partnership to give a further boost to our silicon photonics research over the coming years.’ The collaboration further deepens


Huawei’s engagement with the European research ecosystem in pursuit of its strategy to build a better- connected Europe by investing in local talent. The announcement follows the recent purchase of Internet of Things company Neul in the UK.


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Ireland connects internally and under the sea


Hibernia Networks has announced that it will land a direct connection of its


Express cable to Cork, Ireland, via a new landing station. Hibernia is the only transatlantic cable provider to own and operate three different cable landing stations in Ireland and the only provider with six diverse routes connecting the island to North America and Europe on its wholly owned and operated infrastructure. The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food, the


Marine and Defence, Simon Coveney TD, who officially announced the connection, stated: ‘The extension of Express to Cork has significant international business implications and will make Ireland that much more attractive to both established players and tech startups alike.’ The cable route survey has been completed and more than 90 per cent of lightweight cable, as well as 65 per cent of armoured cable needed for the system has been manufactured. The project is on target to be ready for provisional acceptance in summer 2015. It is hoped that the connection of Hibernia


data connectivity to Cork represents a significant economic opportunity for the Cork region. Having identified the criticality of such an enabling piece of infrastructure for the region, Cork Chamber are delighted with today’s announcement which will now see Cork secure this distinct competitive edge.’ According to Bjarni Thorvardarson, CEO of


The extension of Express to Cork has significant international business implications


Hibernia Networks: ‘Ireland is a major hub for international business and our investment connecting Express to Ireland is a symbol of our company’s deep commitment to economic progress in Ireland.’ Coinciding with the


announcement, ESB Telecoms launched a new high-capacity DWDM network throughout Ireland using Coriant’s hiT 7300 Multi-Haul Transport solution. The new network offers enhanced transmission speeds of up to 100G and enables ESBT to scale up


to meet growing bandwidth requirements in the future. ESB Telecoms’ new high-capacity DWDM


Networks, Express to southern Ireland will serve as an economic catalyst for the entire region. The connection to Hibernia Express provides Ireland with the strategic connectivity it needs to support its technology community for the next 25 years and further adds to Ireland’s position in the global cloud infrastructure and technology services marketplace. Conor Healy, CEO, Cork Chamber of


Commerce, said: ‘Bringing Tier 1 international


network throughout Ireland will also utilise the capabilities of the Coriant TransNet Planning Tool while being managed by Coriant’s TNMS Management System. With these tools, ESBT can automate workflow and commissioning tasks while accelerating deployment of new services it plans to bring to market. Network planning and dimensioning capabilities allow automated network planning based on simulation of photonic network conditions, which result in optimal design solutions.


G.fast approval paves the way for next-generation broadband


Late last year, ITU members gave final approval to G.fast, the new ITU broadband standard designed to deliver access speeds of up to 1Gb/s over existing telephone wires. G.fast is designed to be used


within the fibre to the distribution point (FTTdp) architecture, combining the best aspects of fibre and DSL. Within 400 metres of a distribution point, G.fast provides fibre-like speeds matched with the customer self-installation of DSL,


resulting in cost-savings for service providers and improved customer experience. Not only does this reduce costs but it also paves the way for next generation broadband services such as Ultra-HD ‘4k’ or ‘8k’ streaming. The technology is


complementary to existing FTTH strategies, particularly in scenarios where G.fast proves the more cost-efficient strategy. The approval of the


physical-layer protocol aspects 6 FIBRE SYSTEMS Issue 6 • Winter 2015


of G.fast – defined by Recommendation ITU-T G.9701 ‘Fast Access to Subscriber Terminals (FAST) - Physical layer specification’– follows the approval in April 2014 of ITU-T G.9700, a companion text specifying methods to ensure that G.fast equipment will not interfere with broadcast services such as FM radio. Dr Hamadoun I Touré,


Secretary-General of ITU, said: ‘The time from G.fast’s approval to its implementation looks set to be the fastest of any access


technology in recent memory. A range of vendors has begun shipping G.fast silicon and equipment, and service providers’ lab and field trials are well underway.’ The development of G.fast


has been coordinated with the Broadband Forum’s FTTdp system architecture project. Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum, said: ‘The Broadband Forum is working closely with the ITU to ensure compliance with the G.fast standard and certify chipsets


and equipment. We have already set our first plugfest for January 2015.’ The Broadband Forum has


begun developing a test suite and certification programme for G.fast systems. The test suite will provide for interoperability, functional and performance testing. A beta-trial of the certification programme is planned for mid-2015, and certified G.fast implementations are expected to appear on the market before the end of 2015.


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