Trend 1: Trunk 400G ushers in the first year of commercial use, and is expected to grow in scale in 2023
400G will become a major optical network platform in the next ten years, and it will rule another new era of optical communication just like 100G. In 2023, the long-distance 400G technology will move from behind the scenes to the front of the stage and be gradually commercialized. The mainstream PM QPSK (128Gbaud) and 16QAM (107Gbaud) solutions have their own strengths, and will present a dual-horse confrontation pattern, which will be integrated and unified in the future.
Trend 2: Further development of all-optical networks, and OXC (Optical Cross Connect) evolves to a higher dimension
All-optical network is the focus of building a network power, and OXC is the core of all-optical network development. In order to cope with the continuous expansion of node scale, the network backbone nodes will be upgraded from traditional ROADM to OXC, the WSS dimension will evolve to a higher dimension above 32 dimensions, and the miniaturized OXC equipment in the metropolitan area network will be further popularized.
Trend 3: Continuous optimization of new optical fibers, highlighting the advantages of long-distance transmission
The road goes far, and the new optical fiber will greatly release the potential of the 400G transmission system. Ultra-low-loss G.654.E optical fiber has significantly improved the performance of ultra-high-speed long-distance transmission of 400G bit/s and above, and the commercial scale will be further expanded in 2023. New technologies such as hollow-core optical fiber and multimode optical fiber continue to emerge, continuously improving optical communication transmission performance.
Trend 4: C﹢L extended transmission is about to be commercialized, and technologies such as multi-band and SDM become the next research hotspot
It has become a consensus in the industry to use C+L band expansion to increase the single-fiber capacity of the 400G transmission system. In 2023, the expansion of the C+L band will move from pilot to commercial use, driving the upgrading of optical device technology in the upstream of the industry chain. In the future, the improvement of single-fiber capacity of 800Gbit/s, 1Tbit/s and higher rate WDM system will promote the research of new technologies such as S﹢C﹢L multi-band and space division multiplexing.
Trend 5: Driven by the low-latency and deterministic requirements of all-optical networks, OSU and SPN small-particle solutions go hand in hand
OSU and SPN slices construct a low-latency, deterministic all-optical network, which will become the location of differentiated network bearer and high commercial value. The two technologies take latency as an important optimization goal, provide mega-level fine-grained dynamic bandwidth lossless adjustment, realize flexible access and hard isolation guarantees for multiple services, and go hand in hand in carrier private line service bearing and industry promotion and application.
Trend 6: Network nodes are developing towards intensification, and the degree of integration is evolving from devices to systems
The evolution of silicon photonics and semiconductor packaging technology will promote the overall evolution of the integration of the whole machine from device to system. The growth of single-wavelength rate and system capacity promotes the intensive development of network node service access and cross-scheduling, the promotion and application of technologies such as silicon photonics integration, CPO and 3D co-packaging, and promotes the evolution of smaller packages of core chips and optical modules and the continuous improvement of energy consumption ratio promote.
Trend 7: Collaborative management and control is an effective means for operators to realize openness and decoupling of networks
For open decoupling, we should neither overestimate the short-term benefits nor underestimate the long-term value. For operator networks with complex scenarios and huge stock, it is necessary to focus on the overall TCO of the entire life cycle. In the field of management and control, it is an effective means to realize the opening of network capabilities and values of operators through standardized northbound and SC-DC integrated orchestration and opening of capabilities.
Trend 8: Digital Twins Promote the Evolution of Traditional Optical Networks to Smart Optical Networks
The cross-integration of digital twins and traditional optical network technologies is an inevitable trend in the evolution of intelligence and digitalization. The application of optical fiber sensing, optical layer digitization and other technologies has realized the accurate perception of the internal and external environmental status of the optical network and the mirror image simulation prediction, which is conducive to improving the planning, construction, maintenance and optimization of the whole life cycle capability and efficiency.
Trend 9: All-optical networks have obvious advantages in low power consumption, and three paths support green and sustainable development
Energy saving and emission reduction is the general trend, and the all-optical network needs to deepen the low-carbon development path. The all-optical network, represented by the three typical application scenarios of all-optical access, all-optical transmission and all-optical switching, has a better energy-saving effect than traditional electrical domain signal processing. The three major paths of chip manufacturing process improvement, device packaging process improvement, and system energy saving and consumption reduction will ensure that the green and low-carbon advantages of all-optical networks continue to lead.
Trend 10: The importance of network security is highlighted, and optical networks build a comprehensive security system
Optical network security technology needs to be continuously refined to build multiple security guarantees. Optical networks need to continue to carry out theoretical research innovation and practical verification from the five dimensions of optical fiber links, network element equipment, network architecture, management and control systems, and supply chain localization, and strive to build a comprehensive security system.