UK fiber optic leader to look at innovative components for 100-fold increase on today’s technology limits
Phoenix Photonics, the UK-based fiber optics specialists, is taking part in a key European Union collaborative R&D project to investigate the technologies required to achieve a 100-fold increase on current telecommunications optical fiber-based network capacity limits.
Phoenix is focused on the critical components part of the project as the EU looks to create an innovative new platform to keep pace with world demand as the telecommunications market moves relentlessly towards potential gridlock as the physical capacity limitations of single mode fiber transmission is reached.
“Components providing the functionality of a network are the fundamental building blocks of any system,” said Phoenix Photonics’ CEO Dr Ian Giles.
“The new fibers proposed within the project – known as MODE-GAP – to facilitate spatial division multiplexing, demand a whole new range of components. Our role is to address the challenge to provide these advanced fiber components, which will be based on our proven in-house technologies”.
MODE-GAP is a project funded under the EU 7th Framework Programme. It is seeking to provide Europe with a lead in the development of the next generation internet infrastructure. Combining the expertise of eight world-leading photonics partners, MODE-GAP will develop transmission technologies based on specialist long-haul transmission fibers, and associated enabling technologies such as novel rare-earth doped optical amplifiers, transmitter and receiver components and data processing techniques to increase the capacity of broadband networks.
Other organisations involved alongside Phoenix are the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre, ESPCI ParisTech, OFS Fitel Denmark APS, the COBRA Institute at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Eblana Photonics Ltd, Nokia Siemens Networks GMBH & Co. KG and the Tyndall National Institute of University College Cork.
