WORKSHOPS

Optical fibres

Session 1: Boom of plastic optical fibres in real scenarios?

Co-organisers:
Carmen Vázquez Universidad Carlos III Madrid, Spain.
Joseba Zubia Universidad País Vasco, Spain

Abstract
The workshop will cover different applications of Plastic Optical Fibre providing an insight in their potential development, from conventional SI-POF to GI-POF. There will be contributions from different companies playing a significant role in this scenario, along with consolidated academic groups with new developments and ideas. Any researcher or professional interested in showing new fields and real applications for this exciting technology should attend.

Speakers:

Nikos Bamiedakis Cambridge University, UK
Title: "High-speed data transmission over plastic optical fibre using on micro-pixelated LEDs"

Josef F. Faller Homefibre digital network gmbh, Austria
Title: "Interest in POF market fostered by giant steps into the Gigabit transmission"

Yung Sung Son Optomind, South Korea
Tilte: "POF based AOCs in hyper scale data center for TOR applications"

Azusa Inoue Keio University, Japan
Title: "Status of GI POF in IoT Society - Capillary of Light –"

Tom Koonen Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Tilte: "Sensitive and accurate 2D localisation techniques using POF"

Beatriz Ortega Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain
Title: "Latest advances in POF gratings fabrication: applications and future"

Session 2: Will long-haul optical transmission occupy just the Erbium bands in 2025?

Co-organisers:
Adonis Bogris University of West Attica, Greece
Periklis Petropoulos ORC, UK

Abstract:
Over the past three decades, erbium doped fibre amplifiers have fuelled the growth of the Internet seamlessly by supplying communications networks with a broad amplification bandwidth of high gain and low noise operation in the wavelength region where the silica transmission fibre exhibits its minimum loss. As internet traffic continues to grow in a seemingly insatiable fashion, network providers find that the ultrafast optical transmission cables get filled up at pretty fast rates. In order for optical systems to continue outpacing demand, radical solutions need to be adopted urgently.
The recent years have seen significant developments in novel fibre and amplification technologies, aiming at exploiting mainly the spatial dimension in transmission and offering several spatial paths for the information channels to follow within the same optical cable. However, at the same time, research on novel amplifiers has sought to expand the C and L transmission windows, and thereby offer an alternative route towards capacity enhancement. Thulium doped fibre amplifiers have shown performance that competes directly with erbium at wavelengths approaching 2 μm. Raman amplifiers with extremely broadband and flat gain profiles are becoming available. Specially engineered optical fibres to serve high performance amplifier properties are being developed. This workshop will review some of the technologies that offer the potential for opening further the bandwidth of optical communication systems, and will discuss whether the time has come for the community to consider a new telecommunications window for fibre optics in the current developing environment.

Speakers:

Neal Bergano TE Subcom, USA
Title: "Deployment of the L-band on the field"

Wladek Forysiak Aston University, UK
Title: "Extended bandwidth Raman amplifiers"

Evgeny Dianov Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Title: "Bismuth doped fibre amplifiers"

Francesco Poletti Optoelectronics Research Centre, UK
Title: "Fibre technologies for ultra-broadband transmission"

Michael Hochberg Elenion Technologies LLC, USA
Title: "Integrated optics for telecom networks"

Erwan Pincemin Orange Labs, France
Title: "The prospects of capacity growth through multi-band WDM transport for a worldwide service provider"

Andrew Lord British Telecom, UK
Title: "A network operator’s perspective"

Integrated photonics - 1

Abstract

By exploiting standard CMOS foundries, silicon photonics has rapidly matured. Full take-up by industry is slowed down by the limited availability of lasers and amplifiers directly integrated with this platform. At the moment, the only viable path to overcome this problem seems to be the integration of direct band gap III-V semiconductors. In this workshop we will cover two approaches currently being investigated to achieve this: hybrid integration and direct epitaxial growth.
All current commercially pursued laser integration approaches rely on hybrid integration, either with flip-chip or wafer bonding integration. The first part of the workshop brings together several hybrid integration experts to allow members of the audience to compare and contrast the various approaches.
In the second part of the workshop we will cover direct epitaxial growth of III-V on Silicon. While this approach might be the ultimate goal in terms of scaleability and mass-manufacturability, it is still in the early stages of development and much work needs to be carried out to improve material quality and laser reliability. Experts in the field of monolithic integration will discuss the current state-of-the-art and the prospects toward realising reliable III-V sources directly grown on silicon.

Session 1: Hybrid integration

Co-organisers:
Giampiero Contestabile Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy
Jonathan Klamkin University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Speakers:

Bowen Song University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Title: "3D Hybrid Integration for Silicon Photonics"

Takanori Shimizu PETRA, Japan
Title: "Flip-chip-bonding technology of hybrid integrated laser source on silicon substrate and its optical interconnect application"

Ken Morito PETRA / Fujitsu Lab, Japan
Title: "Flip-chip-bonding based hybrid integration for high performance Si photonics PICs"

Gunther Roelkens Gent University, Belgium
Title: "III-V-on-silicon PICs based on transfer printing and wafer bonding for communication and sensing applications"

Bardia Pezeshki Kaiam, USA
Tilte: "400G and beyond – how costs and performance drive the trade-offs in hybrid integration"

Tin Komljenvoic University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Title: "Heterogeneous Silicon Photonics by Bonding"

Session 2: III-V lasers directly grown on Silicon

Co-organisers:
Xuhan Guo Shanghai Jiaotong University,China
Dries Van Thourhout IMEC - University of Ghent, Belgium

Speakers:

Eric Tournié Universite de Montpellier, France
Title: "GaSb-based lasers in the telecom wavelength range monolithically integrated on Si"

Huiyun Liu University College London, UK
Title: "High-performance III-V quantum-dot lasers monolithically grown on silicon substrates"

Kei May Lau Dept of Electronic & Computer Engineering, HKUST, Hong Kong
Title: "III-V lasers directly grown on Silicon emitting at 1.3 to 1.6 um : promises, challenges and approaches"

Yasuhiko Arakawa University of Tokyo, Japan
Title: "Progress in quantum dot lasers for silicon photonics"

Robert W. Herrick INTEL, USA
Title: "Reliability of Quantum Dot Lasers grown on Silicon Substrates"

Marianna Pantouvaki IMEC, Belgium
Title: "GaAs nanoridge lasers selectively grown on Silicon"

Coherent DSP in optical communications

Abstract

The most effective approaches to surpass the ultimate limitations imposed by the fiber-optic channel rely heavily on coherent DSP. These include chromatic dispersion compensation, probabilistic shaping and FEC, digital back-propagation for the mitigation of nonlinear distortions, and MIMO techniques that are required for the implementation of space-division multiplexing in the presence of random mode coupling. In addition, DSP is the key-element of numerous solutions – including the recently proposed Kramers-Kronig receiver – for short-reach systems relying on direct-detection, where it enables I/Q signaling with the simplest optical front-end.

While today’s available CMOS DSP capabilities are setting critical barriers to the practical implementation of some of these solutions, there is no reason to doubt that such barriers will soon disappear, owing to anticipated advances in CMOS technologies. The aim of this workshop is to examine the scaling of CMOS DSP and discuss requirements, opportunities, strategies, and expectations for coherent DSP over the coming decade.

The workshop will cover specifically the following three main topics:
1. Future scaling of CMOS technology for high-performance optical communications
2. Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms
3. Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges

Session 1: Capabilities and roles of coherent DSP within the coming decade

Co-organisers:
Cristian Antonelli University of L'Aquila, Italy
Peter Winzer Nokia Bell Labs, USA

Speakers:

Sebastien Blais Ciena, Canada
Title: "Future scaling of CMOS technology for high-performance optical communications"

Jens Rasmussen Socionext, Germany
Title: "Future scaling of CMOS technology for high-performance optical communications"

Tomizawa Masahito NTT, Japan
Tilte: "Future scaling of CMOS technology for high-performance optical communications"

Tarun Gupta Acacia, USA
Title: "Future scaling of CMOS technology for high-performance optical communications"

Amirhossein Ghazisaeidi Nokia Bell Labs, France
Tilte: "Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms"

Christian Rasmussen Acacia, USA
Title: "Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms"

Antonio Napoli Coriant, Germany
Title: "Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms"

Session 2: Is Kramers-Kronig a game-changing technology for short-reach applications?

Co-organisers:
Xi Chen Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Antonio Mecozzi University of L’Aquila, Italy
Son Thai LeNokia Bell Labs, Germany

Speakers:

Stojan Radic UCSD, USA
Title: "Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms"

Takeshi Hoshida Fujitsu, Japan
Title: "Future scaling and capabilities of DSP algorithms"

An Li Huawei, China
Tilte: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Robert Killey UCL, UK
Title: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Hoon Kim KAIST, South Korea
Tilte: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Annika Dochhan ADVA, Germany
Title: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Mark Filer Microsoft, USA
Title: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Hacene Chaouch Arista, USA
Title: "Low-complexity self-coherent solutions for short-reach applications: optical and electronic challenges"

Microwave photonics

Co-organisers:
Paolo Ghelfi CNIT, Italy
Dalma Novak Pharad, USA

Abstract:

Microwave photonics has evolved significantly in scope and technical maturity over the years. Since the first pioneering experiments in the 1970’s, spurred by interest in exploiting the many benefits of optical fibre as a transmission medium for transporting analog RF signals, the field has expanded considerably. The predominant commercial application of microwave photonic technology to date has been in the low loss transport and distribution of radio signals over optical fibre, with fiber distribution technologies being used to provide users with very high bandwidth services.

While radio-over-fibre systems are now commonplace, the additional capabilities and functionalities offered by microwave photonic technologies is leading to other opportunities. Emerging applications of microwave photonics include remote sensing, measurement systems, signal processing, radar imaging, and radio astronomy.

This workshop brings together experts discussing some of the most recent advances in microwave photonics technologies. The first session will highlight emerging applications of microwave photonics while the second session will explore new opportunities for radio-over-fibre systems.

Session 1: Emerging applications of microwave photonics
Speakers:

Ming Li Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Title: "Advances in Optoelectronic Oscillators"

Chao Wang University of Kent, UK
Title: "Wideband waveform generation through photonics"

Jérôme Bourderionnet Thales Research & Technology, France
Title: "Photonics-based RF receivers"

Maurizio Burla ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Title: "Photonics-based millimeter-wave beamsteering"

Giovanni Serafino CNIT, Italy
Title: "Photonics-based radars"

Valentin Polo DAS Photonics, Spain
Title: "Microwave photonics in space applications"

Antonio Zaccaron Elettronica SpA, Italy
Title: "Microwave-photonics based UWB down-converter for EW application"

Session 2: What’s Next for Radio-over-Fiber?
Speakers:

Guillermo Carpintero del Barrio University Carlos III de Madrid
Title: "Integrated photonic devices for radio-over-fibre systems"

Rod Waterhouse Pharad, USA
Title: "High performance antennas for next generation radio-over-fiber systems"

Andreas Stöhr University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Title: "Advances in coherent radio-over-fibre systems"

Huaiyu Zeng Futurewei Technologies, USA
Title: "Digital signal processing for converged fibre-radio networks"

Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas The University of Melbourne, Australia
Title: "60 GHz radio-over-fibre fronthaul"

Fabio Cavaliere Ericsson, Italy
Title: "What 5G requires from microwave photonics"

Datacentres - 1

Abstract

Datacentres (DCs) are growing in size and complexity to accommodate the ever-increasing demands of a broad range of ICT services. Applications running inside data centres may require cooperation between a large number of machines, with hundreds or thousands of multi-core servers arranged in racks, interconnected together over the intra-datacentre network. As the overall performance and size of datacentres increases, higher volumes of packetized data have to be transported among the server clusters. Research papers predict total intra-datacentre traffic scaling to multi Petabit/s.
One of the most challenging issues when scaling out a data centre is the design of the network infrastructure (from intra/inter-rack network communication down to on-chip multi-core network communication). Inter-rack interconnects must implement high-bandwidth communications, low server-to-server latency -regardless of where they are located - with support for dynamic bandwidth allocation and fault tolerance, while always minimising power consumption and system cost. Similar problems of power, cost, latency and bandwidth exist for on-chip multi-core interconnections. In addition, creating a scalable network architecture that exploits the benefits of new and emerging technologies with sufficiently low risk to encourage early adoption is in itself a significant challenge.
In today’s datacentres, photonics technology is largely limited to point-to-point fibre-optic links interconnecting servers, storage devices and electronic packet switches. Many optical-electrical-optical conversions can be required between endpoints in a Clos-structured datacentre network, increasing energy consumption and data latency. This workshop will examine how and whether the flexibility, scalability, cost, and energy efficiency of various size DCs could benefit from new architectures based on advanced optical switching technologies, with potentially lower energy consumption and enhanced capacity. Questions to be discussed in the workshop will include:

- What are the most promising optical switching technologies (space, wavelength, time, or combination of them) to realise disruptive benefits in datacentre efficiency?
- How will the architecture of the datacentre network change and on what timescale?
- Is it possible to identify common photonic technology platforms besides those of today’s point-to-point links?
- What are the barriers to entry for such technologies?

This workshop will invite experts from industry and academia to debate and share with the audience the roles and benefits of emerging optical switching and processing subsystems to enable novel architectures and networking concepts, paving the way towards highly scalable DC network infrastructures with ultra-high bandwidth, dynamic and on-demand network connectivity.
The invited presentations will be followed by a panel discussion to allow participation by the audience. In addition to asking questions of the panelists, audience members are encouraged to present their own opinions, which can include one slide submitted to the organisers in advance or given to the organisers during the workshop.

Session 1: Has the time come for coherent optics in the data centres?

Co-organisers:
Clint Schow University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Seb Savory University of Cambridge, UK

Speakers:

Ian Betty Ciena, USA
Title: "Coherent in the data centre: Is 400G an inflection point?"

Chris Cole Finisar, USA
Title: "Inside the datacenter is not yet a nail for the coherent hammer"

Jörg-Peter Elbers ADVA, Germany
Title: "Coherent optics in datacenters - where, why, when?"

Chris Fludger Cisco System, Inc, Germany
Title: "Coherent transceivers for the datacentre – how low can you go?"

Gilad Goldfarb Facebook, USA
Title: "Challenges and constraints in Facebook's hyper-scale datacenter optical interconnects"

Joseph Kahn Stanford University, USA
Title: "Low-power DSP-free coherent receivers for datacenters"

Benn Thomsen Microsoft, UK
Title: "The intra-datacentre transceiver trinity: Power, Cost, Density"

Session 2: What is the role of optical switching technologies in data centres and computing communication systems?

Co-organisers:
Nicola Calabretta IPI - TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Nick Parsons Polatis, UK
Jian Wu BUPT Beijing University of Posts & Telecom, China

Speakers:

Hitesh Ballani Microsoft, UK
Title: "Challenges for switching inside data centers and emerging technologies"

Laurent Schares IBM, USA
Title: "System integration challenges of optical switches"

Eric Bernier Huawei, Canada
Title: "A realistic architecture for datacenter photonic switching"

Richard Jensen Polatis, USA
Title: "Applications of optical circuit switching in datacentres"

Shu Namiki AIST, Japan
Title: "Opportunity and challenges of silicon photonics switches in future datacenters"

Guojun Yuan Institute of Computing, CAS, China
Title: "Optical circuit switching in high performance computing"

Ben Yoo UC Davis, USA
Title: "Scalable, modular, and contention-free optical interconnect systems for future datacenters"

Quantum communications for secure optical network

Co-organisers:
Nicolas Gisin University of Geneva, Switzerland
Momtchil Peev Huawei, Germany

Abstract:
The workshop will concentrate on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a key agreement cryptographic method, rooted in quantum mechanics and what has come to be known as quantum information theory. While it offers unprecedentedly high degree of security that has even often been deemed to be unnecessary, today it has become a valid quantum-safe tool, i.e. an approach that can offer reliable protection against the ever more realistic threat of emerging quantum computation, another real-life offspring of quantum information theory.
The advent and development of this method will be addressed as well as its different flavours known as Discrete Variable (DV) QKD, the related but significantly different version known as Distributed Phase Reference (DPR) QKD and finally the alternative approach of Continuous Variable (CV) QKD. A main objective will be to demonstrate that after the initial phases of proof of principle development and initial prototype-based tests, QKD has grown into a technology, ready for the real world. The latter has already reached a considerable degree of maturity in terms of its readiness to be incorporated as a key component of security chains that can guarantee secure (=secret and authentic) communication, its ability to be relatively seamlessly integrated into existing telecommunication infrastructure and, specifically, to become a major building block of secure optical networks – both existing ones but even more flexible emerging infrastructures known sometimes as “software networks” (e.g. based on the novel concepts of Software Defined Networks and Network Function Virtualization).
To this end, we invited prominent speakers from academia and industry that will shortly describe state-of-the-art and emerging developments and engage in a discussion with the audience. The first session in this workshop will focus on “from academia to industry”, and the second session on “from industry to solutions”.

Session 1: Quantum communications for secure optical networks – Part 1
Speakers:

Paolo Mantaloni University of Rome, Italy
Title: "Integrated photonics devices for quantum communications"

Charles (Ci Wen) Lim National University of Singapore, Singapore
Title: "How to gain more trust in quantum hardware used for quantum cryptography? "

Romain Alléaume Télécom ParisTech Paris, France
Title: "Combining quantum and computational approaches to upgrade secure networks"

Hugo Zbinden Université de Genève, Switzerland
Title: "Fast and simple Quantum Key Distribution for secure optical communication"

Norbert Lütkenhaus University of Waterloo, Canada
Title: "Key and network management for QKD trusted node networks"

Vicente Martin Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Title: "The integration of quantum communications in novel networks"

Imran Khan / Christoph Marquardt Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany
Title: "Commercialising continuous-variable quantum key distribution"

Session 2: Quantum communications for secure optical networks – Part 2
Speakers:

Yibo Zhao Zhejiang Quantum Technologies Co. Ltd, China
Title: "Three layer architecture for quantum key distribution network in practice and a necessary secret key cloud"

Zhao Yong QuantumCTek Co, China
Title: "Quantum safe integrated communication network in China"

Andrew Lord British Telecom, UK
Title: "Integration of QKD into telecom networks"

Andreas Poppe Huawei Technolgies, Germany
Title: "Integration of CV-QKD in optical networks"

Sean Kwak SK telecom, South Korea
Title: "Quantum communication network in South Korea"

Grégoire Ribardy ID Quantique SA, Switzerland
Title: "Practical Applications of Quantum Key Distribution"

Submarine systems

Co-organisers:
Maxim Bolshtyansky Subcom, USA
Gabriel Charlet Nokia Bell Labs, France
Fatih Yaman NEC-Labs, USA

Abstract:
Modern submarine communication systems face several challenges. On the one hand, the capacity demand for undersea communication mirrors that of the terrestrial networks. There is a need to have higher and higher connectivity, yet, similarly to terrestrial network, the capacity per fiber reaches the limits dictated by nonlinearity of the transmission fibres and by Shannon limit. On the other hand, the submarine transmission systems are unique in terms of limitations of electrical power available for the undersea amplifiers. This create unique challenge of increasing cable capacity without possibility of significant increase of available power. Finally, the pressure of building the systems in most cost-efficient way may have its own impact on possible solutions for a future ultimate submarine transmission system.

In this workshop, we first plan to discuss the pressures of higher connectivity/higher capacity systems from customer demand point of view. Then we will overview the record experiments and demonstrations. We discuss and compare the main techniques that makes those records possible such as nonlinearity compensation, constellation shaping and coded modulation. Then we will talk about power and cost optimization of possible future submarine links. We will conclude with the discussion of some of the emerging technologies and directions that may help to overcome the mentioned above challenges. The topics include amplification technologies, modulation techniques, future optical fibres.

Session 1: How do we build the ultimate submarine transmission system? – Part 1
Speakers:

Gavin Tully Pioneer Consulting, USA
Title: "What to expect in submarine word medium to long term"

Valey Kamalov Google, USA
Title: "Long term view on submarine systems"

Herve Fervier Facebook, USA
Title: "Future submarine communication needs"

Dmitri FoursaTE Subcom, USA
Title: "Record capacity and power efficiency in submarine systems"

Pascal Pecci Nokia ASN, France
Title: "Cost optimized power efficient cables and systems"

Ivan Fernandez Nokia ASN, France
Title: "Record SE and channel capacity for submarine SMF transmission"

Eduardo Mateo NEC Labs, USA
Title: "Power efficient submarine cables"

Session 2: How do we build the ultimate submarine transmission system? – Part 2
Speakers:

Ghazisaeidi Amirhossein Nokia Bell Labs, France
Title: "Ultimate spectral efficiency of future submarine systems considering nonlinear compensation techniques"

Shaoliang Zhang NEC Labs, USA
Title: "Record breaking modulation formats and future technologies for submarine systems"

Kim Roberts CIENA, Canada
Title: "Future directions for submarine transponders"

Hongbin Zhang Acacia, USA
Title: "Future of transponders for submarine transmission"

David J. DiGiovanni OFS Fitel, USA
Title: "State of the art and future perspective of submarine fibres"

Masaaki Hirano Sumitomo, Japan
Title: "Fibres for future submarine systems"

Daishi Masuda OCC Corp, Japan
Title: "Manufacturing power efficient submarine cables"

DSP for next generation optical access

Co-organisers:
Vincent Houtsma Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Marco Presi Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy
Naoki Suzuki Mitsubishi Electric, Japan
Dora Van Veen Nokia Bell Labs, USA

Abstract:

Intensity modulation with direct detection (IM-DD) has been widely used in nearly all optical networks for several decades at rates of 10 Gb/s and lower. Starting in approximately 2010, DSP based coherent technology began being deployed for long-haul optical networks allowing much higher data rates (e.g. 100 Gb/s vs 10 Gb/s) to be send over long spans of fiber (>1,000 km). Up till now however, optical access networks still mostly rely on IM-DD at 10 Gb/s and below rates. New services like 5G mobile X-haul, edge computing and HD video distribution combined with stringent requirements like low latency, flexibility, and scalability are transforming the need for future access networks. To keep up with increased bandwidth demand and support future mobile traffic, next generation access (NGA) networks supporting over 50 Gb/s per single wavelength, while ensuring coexistence with legacy access systems in a cost-effective manner will be needed. An attractive approach to enable this is the use of advanced modulation and detection techniques, enabled by digital signal processing (DSP), to provide these high-speed transmissions with low-cost limited bandwidth optical components as well as being able to compensate for dispersion and nonlinearities. Furthermore, DSP based optical access technology could be a good fit for future converged optical, wireless and copper based broadband access networks to meet the stringent requirements of these new services across the whole network.

This workshop will aim at providing a platform for discussion the need for DSP in next generation optical access networks by bringing together DSP experts from diverse fields as well as service providers, systems vendors and component manufactures debating perspectives on requirements, challenges and solutions with one another as well as with other workshop participants.

Invited speakers will address the following questions, among other things:

DSP based coherent access, can we simply reuse existing long-haul DSP technology, or can it be optimized for access networks (DSP vs analog signal processing)?

Do network operators see a benefit in using DSP for next generation optical access networks to facilitate new services?
What can DSP enabled technologies such as OFDM, DMT and Coherent bring in terms of capacity, cost, latency, flexibility, scalability and impairment mitigation for access networks?

How much can be gained by enabling DSP to drive higher capacity?

Is DSP compatible with optical access protocols? What about burst mode operation?
DSP in wireless and copper-based access networks, can we re-use or learn from it?
Are DSP intensive IM-DD systems e.g. as proposed for datacenters based on PAM4 an option for next generation optical access networks?
Is the power consumption and heat dissipation of DSP a killer for high speed optical access systems?

Does the need for co-existence with legacy PON systems limit the use of DSP?
At which extent can DSP be made compatible with legacy systems?
DSP for both upstream and downstream and/or at OLT side only (predistortion vs equalization)?
Becomes low cost interoperability testing an issue when enabling DSP based equalization?
Are new PON protocols needed to support DSP enabled new services?

Session 1
Speakers:

Introduction

Sebastian Randel Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Title: "Introduction DSP for Optical Access"

Ernesto Ciaramella Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
Title: "Analog signal processing versus DSP"

Noriko Iiyama NTT, Japan
Title: "Burst mode DSP for future high-speed and long-reach access networks"

Issues to be solved

Per Larsson-Edefors Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Title: "Power consumption issues related to DSP"

Steve Trowbridge Nokia, USA
Title: "Complex Modulation, DSP, and Interoperability: Lessons from Metro and long-haul Optical Transport Networks"

Luiz Anet Neto Orange labs, France
Title: "Operator view on DSP for Optical Access"

Session 2
Speakers:

What we can learn from history and different fields?

António Luís Jesus Teixeira Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
Title: "The DSP-enabled coherent PON space”, "

Jochen Maes Nokia Bells Labs, Belgium
Title: "Insights from DSP in copper access"

Junichi Nakagawa Mitsubishi Electric, Japan
Title: "Insight from signal processing in 5G mmWave Massive MIMO"

What can DSP bring to Optical Access?

Timo Pfau Acacia Communications Inc., USA
Title: "Extra features enabled by DSP"

Shogo Yamanaka NTT Device Innovation Lab, Japan
Title: "The recent line-side DSP trends (towards short reach)"

5G

Session 1: What will be the role of microwave photonics in 5G and beyond?

Co-organisers:
Antonella Bogoni Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy
Paulo Pereira Monteiro Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
Andreas Stöhr University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Abstract
Fifth-generation mobile technology is causing a lot of excitement in the telecommunications industry. The next generation in mobile communications promises much higher data rates, significantly lower latencies, smaller cells, a much higher number of active users per cell and many other attractive KPI. The new 5G technology may even be revolutionary in enabling many new applications.
Good news for the optical communication business is that future 5G mobile networks will require even more photonic technologies than already used by its legacy 4G and 3G predecessors. This workshop will discuss the potentials for photonics in future 5G mobile networks but also the way in which 5G may impact optical communication networks.
The discussions will be concentrated on the role of optical access technologies and specifically Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) techniques for 5G mobile fronthauling and backhauling as well as the expected impact that future 5G mobile networks may have on the optical transport network.
The workshop will bring together global participants from both, industry and academia reporting on latest advances in related wireless and fiber-optic technologies to stimulate the discussion about opportunities and challenges for photonics in 5G.

Speakers:

Michał Szczęsny EXATEL, Poland
Title: "Multi-RAT WiFi/4G/5G Network Field Trial in a Shopping Mall"

Beate Hoehne Keysight, Germany
Title: "5G in Optics – from Server to Front-Haul"

Le Nguyen Binh Huawei, Germany
Tilte: "Optical transport networks for 5G - Edge clouds interconnection in the 5G Environment"

Frédéric van Dijk III/V Lab, France
Title: "Monolithic and hybrid photonic integrated circuits for future optically assisted wireless systems"

Masatoshi Suzuki KDDI, Japan
Title: "Power-fading-free large capacity IFoF transmission for future mobile fronthaul links"

Francesco Testa Ericsson, Italy
Title: "Silicon photonics devices for 5G radio access systems"

Session 2: Photonics transport systems for 5G networks

Co-organisers:
Roberto Sabella Ericsson, Italy

Abstract:

The use of photonic technologies finds extensive application in the long distance and metro transport systems and in PON-based access systems. DWDM technology provides the means of integrating optical switches with digital cross-connects, based on optical transport network (OTN) or packet technologies. In that way, the optical layer consists both of optical transmission lines as well as optical cross-connect (OXC) or reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM). The evolution of packet switching nodes increasingly integrated with optical switching systems (e.g. IPoWDM systems) has led to the evolution of the packet-over-optical transport nodes, where a multi-layer control allows to simultaneously handle photonic and electrical switches to smartly route traffic according to traffic load conditions and implement protection and restoration paths for network resilience.

In 5G networks, things will change due to new challenges: i) the traffic will increase significantly but, at the same time, the cost to transport that traffic must be lowered to keep investments reasonably affordable by network operators; ii) the radio base station domain will change, since baseband processing functions and radio functions will be separated in different units that could be distant to each other up to some tens of Kilometers; iii) the trend to reduce the number of sites to dramatically lower operator opex will lead to realize centralized RAN or even cloud RAN with consequent challenging transport requirements in terms of latency, jitter, synchronization etc.; iv) network operator will need to optimize the installed fiber in order to keep as low as possible incremental investments to upgrade the networks, v) distributed cloud systems will need optical communication systems to interconnect data centers with the networks and among each other.
The workshop will bring together global participants from both system vendors, network operators and academia reporting on latest advances in this respect.

Speakers:

Glenn Wellbrock Verizon, USA
Title: "5G Transport Options from a Carriers Point of View"

Juan Pedro Fernandez-Palacios Gimenez Telefonica, Spain
Title: "Telefonica Optical SDN strategy and use cases"

Piergiorgio Pagnan Telecom Italia, Italy
Title: "Automation, virtualization, IP and photonics. An integrated approach"

Nihel Djoher Benzaoui Nokia Bell Labs, France
Title: "Deterministic Dynamic Networks for 5G"

Gregory Young Luxtera, USA
Title: "Photonics technologies for 5G networks and systems"

Michael Eiselt ADVA, Germany
Title: "5G metro transport based on simplified filtering"

Data centres - 2

Session 1: High speed interconnection interfaces for 400 Gbit/s and beyond: which solution will be the winner? How to avoid market fragmentation?

Co-organisers:
Luca Giorgi Ericsson, Italy
David Plant McGill University, Canada

Abstract
Interconnection interfaces are available in a plethora of formats based on the choice of modulation, number of connecting fibers, wavelength multiplexing options, pluggable module format, etc. This is due to historical and commercial reasons rather than application requirements. Can this fragmentation be avoided for next gen high speed interfaces? If so, who will be the winner?

Speakers:

Katharine Schmidtke Facebook, USA
Title: "Present and future optical technology deployments in datacenters"

Stephane Lessard Ericsson, Canada
Title: "Crossing 400G interconnect speed in the datacenter: what to expect"

Kenneth P. Jackson Sumitomo Electric, USA
Tilte: "Pluggable Form-Factors for 400G and Beyond: Is the End Near?"

Mark Heimbuch Source Photonics, USA
Title: "Optics for Cloud Computing – Leap or Migration?"

Justin Abbott Lumentum, Canada
Tilte: "Achieving Cost Effective 400G Interconnects"

Alan Lau The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong
Title: "The role of DSP in short-reach interconnects"

Session 2: Optical technologies for distributed edge and exascale core data centres

Co-organisers:
George T Kanellos University of Bristol, UK
Nikos Pleros University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract:
In addition to the 25% CAGR of cloud data traffic that imposes tremendous pressure in the bandwidth requirements for cloud data centres, the emergence of 5G technology and edge computing further stresses the demand for ultra low latency data centre networking. Optical technologies have already proved the ability to effectively address the bandwidth and reach requirements providing high bit rate transmission links, but data centre networks scalability and latency performance are continuously challenged by the throughput capabilities of available electrical packet switches. This workshop aims to highlight how the advances of optical transmission and switching technologies can radically reshape the data centre architectures, either enabling unprecedent scale for core data centres or by allowing effective inter- data centre connectivity in the network edge.

Speakers:

Robert Blum Intel, USA
Title: "High volume silicon photonics for scaling bandwidth in next generation data center networks"

Paraskevas Bakopoulos Mellanox, Greece
Title: "Challenges and opportunities for next generation data center networks"

Benn Thomsen Microsoft, UK
Title: "Data Center Networking: Is the time right for optics to move beyond point-to-point connectivity?"

Shuangyi Yan University of Bristol, UK
Title: "Exploring multi-dimensional optical switching technologies in DCN"

Cyriel Minkenberg Rockley Photonics, Switzerland
Title: "Reimagining Datacenter Networks with Integrated Silicon Photonics"

Juerg Leuthold ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Title: "Plasmonics - An Interconnect solution?"

Marco Fiorentino HPE Labs, USA
Title: "Exascale networks: devices, topologies, and protocols"

Photonics in Space

Organiser:
Roberto Formaro Italian Space Agency, Italy

Abstract:

PHOTONICS IN SPACE: A STRATEGIC ROLE FOR THE NEXT DECADE AND BEYOND

The Photonics technology is progressively expanding its use in many fields such as telecommunications, biomedical, defense and data processing. Studies and research programmes demonstrated that several critical functions, traditionally performed by electronic circuits, may be handled through optical devices operating at wavelengths of light. The use of photonics for space applications represents a huge technological leap, being able to make a significant contribution to energy efficiency, reduction of mass and dimensions, data handling (very high data rate) and systems flexibility by enabling fast band tunability and multiband/multisensors applications.
Sub-systems based on photonics are already embarked on telecommunication satellites while equipments and payloads for other applications are under development. In addition to the traditional applications related to the intersatellite link and ground-to-space telecomms, the flexibility given by photonics starts to call the attention of developers of navigation, radar and optical missions. Sensors for attitude determination, “harness-less” equipments, oscillators, transceivers etc. are just few examples of the transversal use of the photonics technology.
Moreover, the new space economy, requires cheaper and fast missions in order to satisfy the implementation of downstream applications, which require fast and specialized response. Therefore, Space operators may take strong advantage from the flexible architectures enabled by photonics devices realizing multimission space infrastructures thus achieving the optimization of upstream assets and reducing costs and supporting the Space environment protection issue.
Definively, the new opportunities created by the extended diffusion of the use of photonics in the space market will result a wide range of business opportunities both for Space operators and for photonics manufacturers.
The workshop will give the perspective on Photonics in Space from main International Space Agencies such as NASA, ESA, JAXA, ASI and will give an overview on developments, expectations and threads of the Research Institutions, the main commercial operators from the telecom market and the European Satellites manufacturers.

The Workshop is organized around the following sessions:

Institutional and Users perspectives with the intervention of primary International Space Agencies and space Operators;
Space applications with the intervention of Industrial Operators/Manufacturers and Academia/Research Institutions;
Round Table: the main topics will be summarized and discussed.

Speakers:

Institutional and Users perspectives Session: 13:30-15:00

Roberto Formaro Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
Title: "Introduction of the workshop - Space Economy and opportunities for new technologies: the photonic case at ASI"

Don Cornwell NASA, USA
Title: "Space Photonics for NASA’s Free-space Optical Communications Program"

Araki Tomohiro JAXA, Japan
Title: "Photonics and Fiber technology for Space Exploration in JAXA"

Iain McKenzie ESA, The Netherlands
Title: "ESA's Strategy for Photonics in Space"

Eva Gonzalez Inmarsat, UK
Title: "Inmarsat insights on space photonics: optical infrastructure for satellite applications"

Alessandro Le Pera Eutelsat, France
Title: "Eutelsat perspective on Photonic Payload"

Space applications Session 15:30-16:30

Sergio Mottini Thales Alenia Space, Italy
Title: "A Light on the Next Decades: Perspectives in Photonics, from Earth Orbit to Deep Space"

Caterina Ciminelli PoliBa, Italy
Title: "Integrated Photonics for satellites – Research activity at Politecnico di Bari"

Massimo Vanzi University of Cagliari, Italy
Title: "Stress factors, degradation and lifetime for Photonics in Space Applications"

Paolo Ghelfi CNIT/Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Title: "The photonics-based SAR for satellite Earth observation: evolution and perspectives"

Round table – Open Discussion: 16:30-17:00

Disaggregation in data centres and metro networks

Co-organisers:
Jiajia Chen KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Lena Wosinska KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Gemma Vall-llosera Ericsson, Sweden
Juan Jose Vegas Olmos Mellanox, Denmark

Abstract:
Disaggregated data centers and metro networks employ pooled and disaggregated (instead of tightly integrated) components, leading to significantly improved utilization, scalability, reliability and power efficiency, for both cloud and edge computing. However, in most of today’s infrastructure, disaggregation is very limited. Server blades are still composed of individual units contributing both processing, memory and hard disks. Such integrated units incur a significant waste of computation and storage resources as well as low power efficiency, due to the inherent inability to properly match user requirements to the resources available within a single server or sets of servers. However, increasing the disaggregation level would bring new challenges, such as ultra-high-capacity and low-latency interconnections among processors and memory, which, on the other hand, might constrain the advantages of disaggregation.

The workshop will include, but is not limited to the following discussion topics:
- The state-of-the-art disaggregated data centers and metro networks: practical implementation and solutions.
- Which level of disaggregation will be needed in future data centers and metro networks? Is it beneficial that all types of functions (CPU, memory, storage…) are disaggregated?
- Key optical technologies to support function disaggregation: challenges and opportunities from component characterization, system design and network optimization point of view.
- Key performance indicators for disaggregation, topologies and traffic patterns depending on services and applications supporting (IoT, 5G, HPC,..).

Session 1
Speakers:

Idelfonso Tafur Monroy Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Title: "Software Defined and Programmable Networks"

Eitan Zahavi Distinguished Architect, Israel
Title: "Disaggregation and the need for RDMA"

Ryousei Takano AIST, Japan
Title: "A disaggregated accelerator cloud data center"

Achim AutenriethADVA Optical Networking, Germany
Title: "SDN control and operation of disaggregated optical networks for data center connectivity – challenges and solutions"

Nikos Pleros Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Title: "Sub-μsec latency 1000-port scalable Optical Switch Fabrics for Disaggregated Computing"

Laurent Schares IBM - T.J. Watson Research Center, USA
Title: "Rack-scale disaggregation: does optics make sense?"

Session 2
Speakers:

Hiroki Okui NTT Communications, Japan
Title: "NTT Communications' Expectation and Activities for Open and Disaggregated Transport Networks Project"

Dimitra Simeonidou University of Bristol, UK
Title: "Disaggregation of network intelligence in support of network service automation and scaling demands"

Nicola Calabretta Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Title: "Photonic integrated WDM cross-connect switches for disaggregation in intra-datacenter and metro networks"

Anders Lindgren Telia, Sweden
Title: "Telias view on openness in metro and regional optical networks"

Sebastien Bigo Nokia Bell Laboratories, France
Title: “Brighter optical networks : does desaggregation simplify the game?”

Maarten Vissers Huawei, The Netherlands
Title: “How to achieve openness in carrier's network”

Technology Trends for Optical Networks Towards 2020 and Beyond

Co-organisers:
Simon Stanley Heavy Reading, USA
Tom Issenhuth Huawei Consultant, USA
Gordon Liu Huawei, China

Introduction:
Cloud and 5G services require rapidly growing bandwidths that can only be delivered through the further development of optical networks. This workshop will include views and discussions from many industry experts on the evolution of these next generation optical networks and the data rates needed for metro and data center networks.

Session 1: The evolution for next-generation optical networks.
Abstract:
The shift to cloud services and the rapid growth in bandwidth available to subscribers through 5G and fiber access networks will require huge capacity and flexibility from the optical networks connecting data centers, edge computing, access networks and base stations. Faster network deployment and bandwidth on demand will also be key requirements, together with lower operating costs and a competitive supply chain. In this session we will be looking at these requirements for next-generation optical networks and the key technology developments that will be driving this evolution.

Speakers:

Peter Winzer Nokia Bell Labs, USA
Title: "ON2020 Update: developing a comprehensive roadmap for optical networking"

Junjie Li Next Generation Optical Transport Network Forum (NGOF), China
Title: "Introduction and Current Works in NGOF"

Kevin Smith formerly BT, UK
Title: "Advanced High-Speed Transmission towards 400G per Wavelength and Beyond"

Maarten Vissers Huawei, TheNetherlands
Title: "Introduction to Mobile-optimized Multi-service Metro OTN (M-OTN)"

Massimo Tornatore Polytechnic of Milan, Italy
Title: "Emerging research directions for machine learning in optical networks"

Andrea Melloni Polytechnic of Milan, Italy
Title: "Tips and tricks to harness PICs in flexible optical networks"

Session 2: The next data rate for metro networks.
Abstract:
The shift to cloud services is driving the need for ever larger networks for the cloud providers. 400Gb/s for DCI and metro networks will soon be commercially available. What will be the appropriate next data rate 800Gb/s, 1Tb/s or even higher? Would it be better to have a single wavelength 800 Gb/s or 1 Tb/s, or a super-channel with multiple subcarriers (e.g. two bonded 400/500 Gb/s using FlexE)? Would it raise new requirements for opto-electronics devices? In this session we will discuss the likely data rates and how they would fit the data traffic explosion in DCI and metro networks?

Speakers:

Dave Welch Infinera, USA
Title: "The Role of Coherent Transceivers in the metro network"

Maxim Kuschnerov Huawei, Germany
Title: "Evolution beyond 400G in metro networks"

Mitsuteru Ishikawa NTT, Japan
Title: "Ultra-high bandwidth coherent optical devices for beyond 100GBd transmission"

Xin Yin Ghent University - IMEC, Belgium
Title: "Enabling next-generation optical network rate: insights from electronic circuit and technology scaling"

Robert Killey UCL, UK
Title: "Experimental assessment of 800 Gb/s transceiver performance and prediction of future trends for metro and DCI networks"

Morning
9:00 – 12:30 (CET)

Afternoon
13:30 – 17:00 (CET)

Morning 9:00 – 12:30 (CET)

Afternoon 13:30 – 17:00 (CET)

Optical fibres

Integrated photonics - 1

Coherent DSP in optical communications

Microwave photonics

Datacentres - 1

Quantum communications for secure optical network

Submarine systems

DSP for next generation optical access

High-Volume applications of 3-d sensing in consumer and automotive markets

Integrated photonics - 2

Advanced transmission schemes

5G

Data centres - 2

Photonics in Space

Disaggregation in data centres and metro networks

Technology Trends for Optical Networks Towards 2020 and Beyond

Morning
9:00 – 12:30 (CET)

Afternoon
13:30 – 17:00 (CET)