Gigabit Access Passive Optical Network Using Wavelength Division Multiplexing—GigaWaM

This paper summarizes the research and technical achievements done under the EU project GigaWaM. The goal of this project was to develop a cost-effective solution that can meet the increasing bandwidth demands in access networks. The approach was to use a novel wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) architecture that can deliver symmetric 1 Gb/s to 64 users over 20 km standard single mode fiber using the L and C bands for down and upstream, respectively. During the course of the project, a number of key enabling technologies were developed including tunable transceivers, athermal 50 GHz spaced arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer devices, novel hybridization technologies for integration of passive and active electro-optic devices, and system-level algorithms that ensure the quality of service. The outcome of the project proved a reliable, cost-effective, flexible, and upgradable WDM-PON solution, achieving per-user datarates of 2.5 and 10 Gb/s for up and downstream, respectively. The proposed solution is not only suitable for access networks, but also for metro aggregation and mobile backhaul.