INTENSE

Motivation

Optical fiber networks are the foundation of modern communication networks worldwide. They must be continuously expanded in order to meet the increasing demands of users in terms of data traffic and reliability. This requires ongoing research and testing of new technologies and transmission paradigms. One promising technology is Space Division Multiplexing (SDM), which enables the simultaneous propagation of waves of the same wavelength in several spatial transmission paths of a single optical fiber. This technology increases the potential of optical fibers and enables high-performance networks.

Project Goal

The joint project will investigate integrated network control, monitoring and signal processing technologies for parallel signal travelling in a common medium. The project aims to improve the capacity and reliability of optical systems while increasing the robustness of the network. The research will focus on network monitoring and automation using SDM technology and control of the software-defined network layer. The performance of the developed network monitoring solutions will be evaluated in a demonstrator and the benefits for reliability and condition monitoring will be presented.

Innovation

The proposed solutions open up new perspectives for expanding capacity and troubleshooting in high-performance optical networks, making them more reliable and efficient. In addition, the specific properties of the technology can open up new areas of application, such as the monitoring of environmental influences, and thus strengthen the technological sovereignty of Germany and Europe.

Infosim^® – Our Focus

The main objective of the Infosim sub-project is to investigate and test disruptive approaches for the control and management layer in communication networks. These include new interfaces, protocols and data formats that enable high-resolution monitoring using telemetry, data analyses using machine learning methods to reliably and automatically detect anomalies, and new forms of user interaction with AI (multi-)Agent systems based on large language models (LLMs). AI multi-agent systems have already demonstrated their potential in several applications in recent month and also promise new and innovative approaches in the area of network management.