INDUSTRY NEWS
FiberCop and Nokia to transform fibre networks into advanced monitoring platforms
Wholesale operator FiberCop and Nokia are testing the use of optical fibre as a distributed sensor, capable of detecting climate events, anomalies and potential faults. The collaboration involves joint research and testing activities on solutions that enable fibre not only to transmit data, but also, thanks to artificial intelligence, to detect events and changes along the infrastructure in real time. “This collaboration is an important step in the evolution of fibre infrastructures, which can become ever more intelligent and capable of providing new information that is useful for their
management,” said Stefano Paggi, Chief Technology & Operations Officer of FiberCop. “The goal is to explore solutions that help strengthen network reliability and open up new application possibilities to support the economy.” Fibre sensing can support two main areas of application: network protection and monitoring of the surrounding environment, the partnership claims. In operational contexts, it enables the detection, location and classification of problems caused by events such as landslides, fallen trees, roadworks or acts of vandalism, supporting faster interventions, reduced field operations and greater
service continuity. The same infrastructure can also enable environmental monitoring services, detecting phenomena such as wind, temperature changes, seismic activity, flooding, leaks or traffic. The technologies at the heart of the collaboration use the network as a distributed sensing system, capable of detecting physical and environmental changes, such as vibrations, temperature variations, or mechanical stresses, through analysis of the optical signal. In this way, fibre evolves from being a connectivity infrastructure to a platform that can generate information useful for the management, security and resilience of infrastructures.
“AI is radically changing what networks need to do. Networks no longer simply carry data; they also help operators understand what is happening in real time,” said John Harrington, Executive Vice President and Head of Europe at Nokia. “By combining Nokia Bell Labs’ innovation with our AI-enabled fibre sensing, we can help FiberCop transform its fibre network into an intelligent monitoring platform that provides reliable infrastructure capable of sensing, understanding and acting in real time. Working together, we can support faster detection of network issues, enable new sensing- as-a-service applications, and create a more resilient network.”
Photon Design natively completes 10 second TFLN simulations
OIF to bring industry-wide interoperability to life at ECOC 2026
Optical networking interoperability forum OIF has announced a live, multi- vendor interoperability demonstration at the ECOC Exhibition taking place this September 21 – 23 in Málaga, Spain. The demo, featuring 39 member companies in booth 2126, will showcase how open interoperability is helping the industry transition next-generation optical networking technologies, from specification to real- world deployment for AI infrastructure. OIF’s demonstration will highlight interoperability across Optical Systems, 448G and 224G Common Electrical I/O (CEI), Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS), Co-Packaging, Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) and other interoperability initiatives. The pace of AI infrastructure deployment is placing
Photon Design has become the first company to natively simulate Thin Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) bends, in just 10 seconds, with its FIMPROP simulation tool, which uses Eigen Mode Expansion (EME) processing. FIMPROP delivers results as rigorous as industry-standard FDTD tools, but hundreds of times faster. Because TFLN is a birefringent optical material that’s refractive index changes with voltage, so it is commonly used for the high-speed, phase switching needed for Mach-Zehnder Modulators (MZMs). These are central to coherent data communications, AI and co- located optics processors. Rigorous TFLN modelling is, therefore, essential for
greater emphasis on proven interoperability across the networking ecosystem. OIF’s live demonstration showcases
developing these emerging, high-data-rate, photonics applications. Dr Dominic Gallagher, CEO of Photon Design, said: “EME achieves its efficiency by modelling
how its Implementation Agreements (IAs) enable
interoperable solutions that simplify integration, preserve vendor choice and accelerate the deployment of next- generation optical networks. “The value of a specification is ultimately measured by how well products from multiple companies work together,” said Mike Klempa, OIF Secretary/Treasurer and Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Interoperability Working Group Chair (Qualcomm). “At ECOC, OIF members will demonstrate interoperability in action, validating technologies across the ecosystem to reduce integration risk, accelerate adoption and support the open, scalable networks required for the next generation of AI infrastructure.”
only the live material regions of the TFLN
adiabatic bend, rather than the full bounding volume. TFLN bends can have large bounding volumes so we used a 500um² ‘S’ bend as a benchmark, demonstrating rigorous simulation results in just 10 seconds. Not only does FDTD process the entire bounding volume, but its runtime also increases with both volume and simulation duration. This means that every time the bend dimensions double, the FDTD simulation runtime increases eightfold.”
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| ISSUE 44 | Q3 2026
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