SCIENCE

ADVA Optical Networking has announced its participation in a research project designed to develop future-proof, scalable Wavelength Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Networking (WDM-PON) technology. Called “ADVAntage-PON”, the project represents another milestone in ADVA Optical Networking’s ongoing efforts to encourage the build-out of fiber-based access networks. The project will run for three years and is supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF).  

After having launched a first commercial solution in 2008, ADVA Optical Networking continues to investigate and test the network and system aspects of WDM-PON technology, with the goal to deliver data rates of 1Gbit/s to more than 1,000 users over a distance of more than 100 kilometers. An additional outcome of the project will be that system components to be developed as part of the overall project will be used with ADVA Optical Networking’s systems to develop and implement a project demonstrator at the company’s Meiningen site. The resulting technology from the project will be incorporated into the company’s FSP 3000 and FSP 150 products, and a final outcome will be a field trial implemented with Deutsche Telekom in Berlin. The field trial is designed to incorporate approximately 20 end-user organizations.  

“WDM technology has been successfully deployed in long-haul, metro core and backhaul networks for many years, delivering unprecedented capacity and reach. Now the technology is also starting to show its value in the access network,” explained Christoph Glingener, CTO of ADVA Optical Networking. “With our participation in this project, we expect to help define an optimal network architecture that is focused on the user and the growing demand for bandwidth. At the same time, future access technology must recognize the service provider’s need for energy-efficient, secure and cost-effective service provisioning. This project will drive forward all those elements.”  

In addition to cost-effective access technology development, the project will also focus on network security, energy efficiency, network monitoring and network management. Seven other organizations will participate in the project with ADVA Optical Networking, including ADC Krone; AIFOTEC GmbH; ELBAU GmbH; ELCON Systemtechnik; Fraunhofer-Institut HHI; University of Kiel; and VERTILAS GmbH.