Optical and wireless-integrated next-generation access network based on coherent technologies

Abstract

We present the latest progress on digital coherent optical transmission technologies and their prospects for deployment for broadband radio access, ultimately realizing a full-coherent integrated network. Recent advances in digital coherent optical transmission technologies have made it possible to utilize both the intensity and phase of an optical field, thus allowing seamless convergence with a wireless network. Such a system, which we term a full-coherent system, can offer substantial advantages in terms of transparency, cost, and bandwidth scalability for broadband radio access networks.