First demonstration of OFDM ECDMA for low cost optical access networks

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Optical Networking
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Passive optical networks (PONs) are crucial for broadband access.
• Existing PONs face challenges in capacity and spectral efficiency for next-generation applications.
• Analogue signal processing offers potential for cost-effective high-speed data transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel analogue orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based electrical code division multiplexing access (ECDMA) passive optical network (PON).
• To evaluate the system's suitability for next-generation access applications.
• To highlight the advantages of low cost, high capacity, and enhanced spectral efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an analogue OFDM-based ECDMA PON architecture.
• Conducting a proof-of-principle 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) OFDM ECDMA PON downlink experiment.
• Transmission over 25 km of single-mode telecommunications fiber (SMF).

Main Results:

• Achieved an aggregate data rate of 24.8 Gb/s in an eight-user system.
• Demonstrated negligible dispersion penalties.
• Showcased negligible crosstalk penalties, validating system performance.

Conclusions:

• The analogue OFDM-based ECDMA PON is a viable technology for future high-capacity access networks.
• The system offers significant advantages in terms of cost, capacity, and spectral efficiency.
• The experimental results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system.