Fujitsu and Indiana University collaborate on research findings for high-speed optical networking

BLOOMINGTON, USA: Fujitsu and Indiana University (IU) announced the results of cutting-edge optical networking research that found Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL) in fiber, which previously had been considered a minor fiber impairment, can actually have a significant effect on 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps transmission capability.

All fiber routes have a certain amount of PDL, although fiber itself has a negligible amount of PDL. Indiana University provided Fujitsu with access to both buried and aerial fibers so PDL could be measured in a real-world setting. Theoretical and experimental research confirms the existence of Polarization Dependent Splice Loss (PDSL), and further research correlates PDSL and overall fiber connection loss to PDL.

“Collaborating with university institutions like IU helps Fujitsu stay at the forefront of technological research, and allows us to make discoveries such as this, which we can pass along to the industry to help speed the adoption of high-speed communications,” said Motoyoshi Sekiya, director of Fujitsu Laboratories of America.

“We greatly appreciate this partnership with Indiana University, which has allowed us to conduct research in a real-world setting, and we look forward to future research opportunities.”

The Indiana University Global Research Network Operations Center (IU Global NOC) provides engineering and operations services for IU’s statewide fiber optic network, for leading high-performance research and education (R&E) networks, and for international connections to U.S. and global R&E networks, as well as support of grid operations. The IU Global NOC provided dark fiber, equipment, and support for the experiments.

“Collaborating with leading industry research vendors such as Fujitsu benefits the IU Global NOC by providing our network engineers with real-world experimentation data and experience with cutting-edge technologies,” said Matt Davy, chief network architect at Indiana University. “Here at IU, we’re constantly looking for ways to make our networking environment more capable for our world-class scientists and researchers, and collaborating with Fujitsu helped us in that goal.”

Fujitsu invests $2.6 billion on research and development annually to pursue the latest in technology for next-generation services, computer servers and optical networks, as well as the various electronic devices and materials that serve as building blocks for their products. Fujitsu also contributes to research communities through joint projects with universities and research organizations.