Salumanus at ECOC 2022 in Basel

New coherent modulations and quantum communication. Multi-core optical fibers, broadening the transmission band towards L-band, as well as the use of S-band and E-band, and new types of bismuth doped amplifiers. Which of these technologies will come into widespread use?

There are as many forecasts as the experts who attended ECOC 2022 in Basel. And the examples mentioned are just some of the innovations discussed during the conference. However, everyone agrees on one thing: the world's fiber transmission will accelerate at an unimaginable rate. It is estimated to be up to 50% in the next few years.

ECOC is a mass of knowledge, theories, but also a chance to get to know the technological gurus of the optical communication industry. It is impossible to resist the impression that it is in these places that the future of connectivity is created and that decides what our life will look like in a few, more than a dozen years.

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the use of efficient fiber optic cables for communication (the history of fiberglass itself dates back to the end of the 19th century). In 1972, efficient and low-attenuation optical fibers were introduced, allowing for longer distances. During this time, mankind managed to build tracts at a distance of 5 billion kilometers. This is a distance close to Earth's distance from Neptune. The discovery of modern fiber optics has become a milestone for the telecommunications industry.

Interestingly, two teams: American and Japanese invented fibers with similar parameters almost at the same time, completely independently of each other. At ECOC, we had the opportunity to hear this amazing story from the inventors themselves. A handshake by Peter Shultz of Corning and Tatsuo Izawa of NTT for a fan of optical communications - priceless. We are already looking forward to the next edition of the event!

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