Projects : access

Next Generation Optical Access

As the popularity of broadband multimedia applications continues to soar, the passive optical network (PON) has emerged as the most promising way to future-proof next-generation access systems. AT NEC OND, we have developed a novel next generation optical access network platform based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-PON that offers an unparalleled combination of capacity, flexibility and cost-efficiency. With our OFDMA-PON approach, OFDM sub-carriers become transparent pipes for delivery of arbitrary signals, such that the system both supports legacy traffic and remains entirely flexible and extensible to any emerging applications. We are continually advancing the state-of-the-art in this area; most recently, we have demonstrated 40 Gb/s OFDMA PON transmission over 20 km and a 1:32 optical split using only low-cost optical components and direct (non-coherent) optical detection. (For details, please see the related press release available here ). Our other areas of innovations in this field include advanced radio over fiber (RoF) techniques, efficient channel scheduling algorithms for PON systems, as well as high-speed free-space optical transmission.