InPhoTech has completed the IPT-CORE project, delivering a 10 km multicore optical fibre and low-loss fan-in/fan-out components. Independent tests demonstrated data transmission rates of 11.2 and 22.4 Tb/s.
The successful completion of IPT-CORE marks a significant step in InPhoTech’s development of multicore optical fibre technology for next-generation telecommunications.
Conventional optical fibres carry data through a single core. InPhoTech’s approach places seven separate transmission cores within one fibre, opening a route to substantially higher network capacity without a corresponding increase in cable space.
During the Horizon 2020 project, InPhoTech manufactured a 10 km length of its speciality seven-core fibre and developed low-loss fan-in/fan-out components. These interfaces allow equipment using conventional single-core fibres to connect with the individual cores of a multicore fibre – a practical requirement for introducing the technology into existing networks.
Independent system trials involving telecommunications operators and an international optical equipment manufacturer demonstrated aggregate transmission rates of 11.2 Tb/s and 22.4 Tb/s. The project also included successful demonstrations to prospective users and an installation in an industrial production facility.
These results show how multicore fibre technology can address rising bandwidth requirements in telecommunications networks and data centres. They also establish a foundation for further technology transfer and industrial cooperation.
Further reading
- European Commission | IPT-CORE final project report
- Orange Polska | Seven-core fibre transmission test (in Polish)
IPT-CORE received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 880054.