DEVELOPMENT AND MARKET UPTAKE OF A GHZ-RATE FIBRE LASER FREQUENCY COMB FOR ELASTIC OPTICAL NETWORKS

Project Information

LASERCOMB

Grant agreement ID: 826882

DOI

10.3030/826882

Project closed

EC signature date 23 July 2018

Start date 1 July 2018

End date 31 December 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

FYLA LASER SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LASERCOMB (DEVELOPMENT AND MARKET UPTAKE OF A GHZ-RATE FIBRE LASER FREQUENCY COMB FOR ELASTIC OPTICAL NETWORKS)

Reporting period: 2018-07-01 to 2018-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Digital communications are being fostered by new business markets such as IoT or Big Data, whose data transmission highlights the market demand of developing innovative communication networks that can take on the increasing demands regarding speed and responsiveness. Upgrading current communication systems towards multi Tb/s transmission networks is a strategic decision for service suppliers that will imply billions of euros in optical networks’ markets. R&D technologies are moving towards Elastic Optical Networks and Super-Channels, in which multiple coherent optical carriers are combined to create a unified channel of a higher data rate (typically >400Gb/s).

In this context, the need and business opportunity that leads FYLA to develop LASERCOMB came from market demand of new communication standards for providing faster, more transparent, dynamic and greener broadband networks.

The main objective of the project is the optimization, demonstration and commercialization of a GHz-rate fibre laser frequency comb (LASERCOMB) to enable the new communication paradigm based on EONs and Super-Channels. During SME Instrument Phase I, the objective has been to perform the technical feasibility study and develop the business plan to reinforce main LASERCOMB business aspects.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During Phase 1 of SME Instrument, two main activities have been performed:

- Technical assessment and feasibility of the concept, including flexibility, short-term stability and long-term stability. In this sense, it has been performed surveys among potential clients and contacts with stakeholders for analysis of end-user acceptance, standardisation or its potential involvement as prescribers for LASERCOMB commercialisation.

- Commercial assessment and economic feasibility, including market analysis, business and exploitation plans, the economic and risk assessment and the actions to expand and strength the stakeholder’s network.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The progress beyond SoA, results and potential impact are related to main value propositions provided by LASERCOMB, which are:
1. High quality signals with temporal coherence between carriers (multiple carriers from unique source).
2. Long-term stable emission (operation 24/7).
3. Robustness (increase up to 5 times the lifetime of laser source).
4. Reduce size and weight (at least 80%).
5. Reduce costs (50% copared with other comb-lasers and 75% compared with transceivers of diode arrays).
6. Enable multiprotocol (use in optical networks, Wireless, ROF, Satellite, etc.).

These value prepositions will enable the new communication paradigm based on EONs and Super-Channels.