Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent, announced a space-division multiplexed optical multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO-SDM) system with the potential to increase current 10 to 20 Terabit-per-second fiber capacities to Petabit-per-second capacity – the equivalent of 1,000 Terabits/s.
Bell Labs said it has demonstrated real-time 6×6 MIMO-SDM using six transmitters and six receivers in combination with real- time digital signal processing to remove cross-talk. The experiment was conducted over a 60-km-long coupled-mode fiber in Bell Labs’ headquarters in New Jersey.
The researchers claim this MIMO-SDM technique could overcome the capacity limitations imposed by the non-linear ‘Shannon limit’ on current optical fiber.
“This experiment represents a major breakthrough in the development of future optical transport. We are at the crossroads of a huge change in communications networks, with the advent of 5G Wireless and cloud networking underway. Operators and enterprises alike will see their networks challenged by massive increases in traffic. At Bell Labs we are continuously innovating to shape the future of communications networks to meet those demands,” said Marcus Weldon, CTO of Alcatel-Lucent and President of Bell Labs.
Alcatel-Lucent announced the first commercially available single-carrier 100G technology in June 2010 and the first commercially available 100G/200G single-carrier line card in 2014, that can deliver up to 24 Tbps capacity.
In 2013, Alcatel-Lucent announced the first deployment of a 400G superchannel optical link with FT Orange with a capacity of 17.6 terabits-per-second, based on the 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE), co-developed by Bell Labs.
