Photonic technologies in Europe
A publication entitled "Photonic Technologies in Europe" has recently been jointly published by the InfoWin and HORIZON projects of the EU's research programme in the field of Advanced Communications Technologies (ACTS). The project InfoWin provides a multimedia information window for the ACTS programme and HORIZON project examines optical transport networks. The publication provides a roadmap for European research and development in the area of photonic technologies of the ACTS programme and begins with an introduction to the ACTS photonics domain. Other chapters of the publication cover: - News services and bandwidth demand evolution; - Access network evolution; - Core transport network evolution; - Components and subsystems: building blocks for optical networks; - Topics for future research. Also included in the publication are interviews with key people involved in the ACTS programme, including operators, academics, equipment providers and representatives of interest groups from various parts of the world. In addition, an article providing an non-technical overview of the key issues of optical fibre communications is also contained in the publication.