g
of information from ever-improving imaging sensors and spectrographs that are scouring the cosmos. Closer to home, the evolution to 5G
"Technology decisions are needed on the optical engine, frequency band, topology, transmission equipment and access equipment”
continues apace and rapidly rising demand for bandwidth continues to put pressure on network capacity. This is unlikely to abate anytime soon, with additional drivers such as content streaming, the internet of things (IoT), artificial and virtual reality (AR/VR) and, more recently, the Metaverse creating extra pressures on global network capability. It is generally accepted by the industry
that higher speeds and better reliability can only be achieved with full-fibre. The good news is that there has been a significant increase in funding, policy and investment to build or expand full-fibre networks and, throughout the world, targets for deployment are now largely on track. The challenge for network owners and
operators in such a rapidly evolving market will be ensuring these networks are future- proofed to meet demands that may not even exist yet, which means packing as much capacity as possible into a network footprint. Fibre densification is one such method discussed among our nominees, but this is not always possible and decisions must also be urgently made on other network technologies to deliver future capacity and speeds. As an example,
today’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks are widely based on Gigabit PON (GPON) technology – and the industry is already working towards the next generation of PON technologies for evolutions beyond 10Gb/s. Operators now really need to decide which iteration of PON technology will best suit their networks. Other technology decisions are needed
on the optical engine, frequency band, topology, transmission equipment and access equipment, to name just a few. There’s also an urgent need to conclude whether to use an open and disaggregated model and to consider whether to adapt to digital with the increase in intelligent and automated networks.
On the beam Research interest in space-based optical communications as a way to circumvent the demand issues for radio bandwidth is growing. Nominees from organisations such as the European Space Agency, Nokia Bell Labs, G&H and Sony Space Communications identified the challenges involved in miniaturising, integrating and ruggedising the technology necessary for laser-based communications in orbit as well as to the Moon and beyond. Laser materials processing, too, is entering exciting times. The technology
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