Optical Access and Transport Networks

Dear Colleagues,

Modern optical networks constitute the backbone of global communications. Currently, xPON optical access networks are the most recognizable, as they reach offices and homes. Other telecommunications networks include distribution and transport networks. The deeper we delve into these networks, the more broadband they become, requiring increasingly advanced technologies to handle petabit throughputs. At the same time, modern wireless communication systems are increasingly unable to function without fiber-optic networks. Optical solutions, in addition to fiber-optic networks, are beginning to be incorporated into wireless networks such as Li-Fi. This is because commonly used radio resources are too limited, and the use of high-frequency bands requires the use of technologically advanced microwave solutions. Optical networks from the xPON family and WANs typically rely on transporting signals via single-core single-mode glass fibers. The demand for very high transport throughputs necessitates the implementation of spatial multiplexing techniques such as MCF or OAM or frequency-based xWDM or O-OFDM while simultaneously managing transmission resources in the optical path efficiently and dynamically, as well as advanced optical signal processing at its edges. Modern node devices used in optical transport networks must demonstrate multidimensional functionality in rapidly changing traffic patterns. Emerging industrial networks supporting Industry 4.0 are shifting the design paradigm for transport and access networks to ensure highly efficient communication with the edge cloud. All-optical networks at the user plane, due to their high transparency, ensure high QoS, while their SDN programmability at the control plane ensures high scalability and dynamic adaptation to current traffic. The era of intelligent and energy-efficient optical networks has just begun, as the introduction of solutions based on machine learning and AI algorithms will ensure faster evolution and adaptation to the needs of Industry 5.0 and future services accompanying smart cities and regional advanced infrastructures.

We invite scientists to submit original papers presenting the results of their research on new optical and photonic technologies, which may be of key importance to future access and transport networks. The potential topics of the Special Issue include but are not limited to

• Optical resource management techniques dedicated to access and transport networks;
• New protocols and techniques for optical routing;
• Ultra-effective optical multiplexing techniques and methods;
• SDN protocols and technologies supporting virtualization and optical slicing;
• Elastic optical networking;
• Optical transport networks based on multicore fibers;
• Next-generation passive optical networks;
• Smart optical nodes recognizing and managing custom traffic;
• New smart optical TSNs for Industry 4.0/5.0;
• Optical mixed networks for mIoT services;
• Li-Fi connections and optical wireless mesh networking;
• New modulation and coding formats for ultra-broadband optical transmission services;
• Optical angular momentum (OAM) applications for long- and short-haul transmission systems;
• Optical Xhaul networks for mobile radio systems;
• Microwave photonics and optical signal processing in fiber-radio networks;
• Data center optical transport networks with modal multiplexing;
• Nonlinear phenomena in next-generation photonic circuits and devices;
• New-generation optical amplifiers and all-optical repeaters;
• All-optical regeneration of multi-channel signals in optical long-haul path;
• Optical add-drop multiplexers and optical cross-connects;
• Optical fiber mesh networks;
• Designing optical fibers for optical telecommunications networks;
• Photonic switching and optical intelligent nodes;
• AI/ML in optical signal processing and optical resource management;
• New-generation lasers and optical modulators;
• Opportunities and challenges of hollow core fibers for communication;
• Coherent multi-order modulation and multi-dimension multiplexing transmission systems;
• Optical cabling for submarine telecommunications networks;
• Optical fibers dedicated to marine and ocean photovoltaic farms;
• Optical networks for fiber-optic and wireless power transport;
• Optical quantum communication over a fiber-optic link;
• Satellite and terrestrial quantum communication;
• Quantum entanglement techniques in optical encryption;
• Protecting optical signals against degradation, loss, or susceptibility to eavesdropping;
• Optical communication security.

Dr. Zbigniew Zakrzewski
Prof. Dr. Sławomir Andrzej Torbus
Dr. Jacek Majewski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• optical access network
• xPON
• optical transport
• OTN
• ROADM
• WSS
• OXC
• PXC
• xWDM
• optical OFDM
• MCF
• optical routing
• EON
• optical fiber
• optical Xhaul
• radio-fiber
• optical modulation
• coherent transmission
• xDFA
• ODN
• submarine transmission
• quantum communications
• optical angular momentum
• optical fronhaul
• Raman amplification
• optical layer 0
• GMPLS
• all-optical communications
• optical eavesdropping