PONGO

The project "Passive Optical Networks of the Next Generation (PONGO)" addresses the objectives of the research program on communication systems " Souverän. Digital. Vernetzt." as well as the overarching strategic initiative " Hyperkonnektivität " of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Its goal is to develop innovative technologies for passive optical networks to meet the continuously increasing demand for data rates in optical access networks and to ensure that expertise in Germany is expanded and preserved.

Currently, passive optical networks (PON) with a symmetric data rate of 10 Gbit/s are being installed. Within the framework of standardization, systems with up to 50 Gbit/s have been described, which are expected to be commercially available and installed starting in 2025. Historically, a new system generation with four to five times higher data rates is introduced approximately every 7-10 years. Therefore, it is necessary to lay the groundwork for systems with data rates of at least 200 Gbit/s now, so that these insights can be incorporated into the recently initiated standardization process.

It is expected that the currently used methods, intensity modulation and direct detection, will no longer suffice for the targeted data rates of 200 Gbit/s and above, and that only coherent transmission principles will be applicable. While these are known from the field of optical long-haul networks, due to the high cost sensitivity in access networks, adapted system architectures and signal processing algorithms must be developed.

Another challenge of the increasing bandwidth growth and the intensified use of complex DSP methods is the associated energy consumption. Although the energy efficiency of optical transmission systems is continuously improving, it is not keeping pace with the growth rates of bandwidth. Therefore, the search for suitable methods to reduce energy expenditure plays an important role in the project.