ISE Magazine, January 2019

I S E I C T S O L U T I O N S E D U C AT I O N 1 2 A Fiber Update for 2019 Our societys hunger for the bandwidth only optical fiber can deliver isnt slowing down Lets review one 5 year cycle of innovation between 2014 compared to 2019 to see where weve been and where we are going In 2014 100 Gb s technology was addressed by demonstrating new concepts for how to transmit more bandwidth while using less bits This was a dynamic shift from basic on offkeying OOK of the laser transmitter used in the past It would require the development and integration and implementation of advanced modulation formats forward error correction FEC and coherent detection technologies to address speeds of 100 Gb s and higher Using these technologies in 2019 we can expect field trials of 400 Gb s and hero experiments of 600 Gb s transmission systems Meanwhile for those installing new cables fiber counts of up to 6912 fibers are now available The use of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing DWDM technology with over 100 optical channels per fiber continues to grow Next generation WDM PON passive optical networks uses optical multiplexing for speeds up to 40 Gb s linking business and high end customers Market research studies show the implementation of FTTx and 5G transmission using G 652D single mode fibers continues to be the optimum method for providing bandwidth Service providers already have placed billion dollar contracts to assure product availability What does this mean for most service providers Unless there is massive construction with new optical cables we must utilize what is built This means using time division multiplexing TDM for higher speeds up to 10 Gb s using dark fibers and or deploying either coarse wavelength division multiplexing CWDM or DWDM technologies for increasing transmission capacity What to Expect in 2019 New 5G installations will increase while FTTx will migrate from legacy G PON ITU and EPON IEEE systems to second generation 10 Gb s systems using coexistence with existing optical fibers and systems Testing and maintenance disciplines will require greater focus for network reliability While the OTDR has been around for decades its full capabilities have still not been used Expect to see more implementation of optical network management systems ONMS which integrate the OTDR optical switch technology and network management systems These systems operate 24 7 and monitor either dark fibers or operate out of band at longer 1625 nm and 1650 nm as defined by the ITUs L 41 fiber optic maintenance standard These systems monitor network security construction provisioning infrastructure and maintenance By incorporating ONMS systems into key hub locations this will reduce response times from hours to minutes FIBER EXPERT Fiberstory@ gmail com www Fiber Story com @ Fiber_ Story Larry Johnson President of FiberStory started his career in fiber optics in 1977 and has written over 20 courses and developed 10 certifications on fiber optics through The Light Brigade which he founded in 1986 Besides his work on various standards groups he is a member of multiple industry technology committees including the Utility Telecom Council and the Fiber Broadband Association FiberStory is involved with the history of fiber optics provides technology assessments to organizations including the outside plant and represents industry organizations in fiber optic technologies