ECOC celebrates its 50th anniversary

• The European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
• The conference and exhibition will take place in Frankfurt, Germany, from September 22-26.
• Key themes at the show include satellite optical communication, artificial intelligence, networking for AI within the data centre, photonic integration, quantum and Green ICT. 

ECOC will celebrate its 50th anniversary this month.

Professor Carmen Mas MachucaThe event will include a special session highlighting the progress made in photonics over the last half century and will feature luminary speakers. 

 There will also be a celebratory event with food stalls from different countries. 

“There will be an opportunity to mingle, and we also plan an exhibition to look back at what has been achieved combined with what directions we need to take for the future,” says Jörg-Peter Elbers, an ECOC General Chair this year. 

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OFC 2024 industry reflections: Part 4

Gazettabyte is asking industry figures for their thoughts after attending the recent OFC show in San Diego. This penultimate part includes the thoughts of Cisco’s Ron Horan, Coherent’s Dr. Sanjai Parthasarathi, and Adtran’s Jörg-Peter Elbers.

Ron Horan, Vice President Product Management, Client Optics Group, Cisco   

Several years ago, no one could have predicted how extensive the network infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) back-end networks in data centres would be. This year's OFC answered that question. In a word, immense.

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AI and optics: An OFC conversation

An OFC conversation with Adtran's Gareth Spence and consultant Daryl Inniss about the AI opportunity for photonics, click here.   

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ECOC 2023 industry reflections - Final Part

Gazettabyte has been asking industry figures to reflect on the recent ECOC show in Glasgow. The final instalment emphasises coherent technology with contributions from Adtran, Cignal AI, Infinera, Ciena, and Acacia.

The popular Market Focus sessions at ECOC

Jörg-Peter Elbers, head of advanced technology at Adtran

The ECOC 2023 conference and show was a great event. The exhibition floor was busy and offered ample networking opportunities. In turn, the conference and the Market Focus sessions provided information on the latest technologies, products, and developments.

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The status of silicon photonics - an ECOC interview

Daryl Inniss and I being interviewed at ECOC by Adtran's Gareth Spence about the state of silicon photonics.  

 

Click here for the interview.

Fibre to everywhere

For years, passive optical networks (PON) were all about fibre-to-the-premise, particularly fibre-to-the-home. Japan, South Korea, and China led the market with massive PON deployments.

"Now the focus is on fibre-to-everywhere, whether it's a home, a business, a school, a university, an enterprise, a traffic light," says Julie Kunstler, chief analyst, broadband access intelligence at Omdia.

Julie Kunstler

Meanwhile, in the US, government funding is spurring fibre deployments, especially in underserved areas.

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ADVA Optical Engines adds bidirectional multiplexing

• ADVA expands its multiplexing modules to include the network edge
• The company is developing optical modules as part of a three-pillar business strategy
• ADVA’s merger with ADTRAN is approaching its conclusion

ADVA has expanded its family of multiplexing optical modules with a 40km bidirectional design for access networks. 

Saeid Aramideh

Until now, ADVA’s three multiplexer optical module products have focussed on IP routing and switching.

The multiplexing modules combine lower-speed optical interfaces into a higher-speed port.

The company unveiled its 4-by-10-gigabit MicroMux Edge BiDi, its first multiplexer module for the network edge, at the OFC show held in March in San Diego.

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