Advanced Technologies for Service-Integrated Optical In-Building Networks

Optical fibre is marching fast towards the user's doorstep, as witnessed by the many new Fibre-To-The-Home installations. The next challenge is to disclose the power of optical communication inside the home, so to bring the full broadband potential to the end user. The presentation will describe the latest advances in our research into low-cost in-home techniques, encompassing techniques for service integration, for high-speed data transfer over highly dispersive polymer optical fibre, and for dynamically providing high-capacity wireless services over fibre.

1. Introduction

Optical fibre is bringing high capacity to the user's residences in Fibre-to-the-Home networks. To match this capacity and extend it all the way to the user, inside his home there should be a good versatile broadband infrastructure as well. Presently, there is a variety of in-building networks, each optimized to deliver a particular set of services (CATV, telephony, high speed data, control and monitoring signals, etc.). A single converged in-building network would considerably ease the introduction and upgrading of services, as well as the creation of relations between those services. The signal transparency of optical fibre makes it an ideal medium to realize such converged network. However, standard single-mode fibre needs delicate handling and accurate installation. Large-core multimode fibre, and in particular ductile Polymer Optical Fibre (POF), is much easier to install, and thus could become the medium of choice for in-building networks. As illustrated in Fig. 1 such a network must carry wired as well as wireless services, operating at a variety of standards. Fig. 1. Pof-Based Multi-Service In-Building Network