Bell Labs Develops New Long-Haul Optical Communication Technology to Suppress Nonlinear Effects

Bell Labs, the renowned research institution under Alcatel-Lucent, has recently developed a breakthrough technology in the field of long-haul optical communications that can significantly suppress noise caused by nonlinear effects. Bell Labs achieved this through the latest optical signal modulation technology known as "digital interference."

Bell Labs has a deep heritage in fiber-optic communications and has previously developed world-leading optical communication technologies on multiple occasions. The newly developed optical signal modulation technology can effectively mitigate the limitations that fiber nonlinear effects impose on transmission capacity. According to test results, a capacity of 406.6Gbps can currently be transmitted over a 12,800 km optical cable with 8-wavelength multiplexing.

According to Technology Online, the transmission capacity of long-haul optical communication technology used in submarine cables is gradually approaching its limit on a single fiber. The traditional approach is to increase bandwidth by boosting signal strength, but higher power levels will cause the fiber to heat up and melt. The transmission limit of optical cables is 100Tbps, while the current latest submarine cable transmission capacity is 3.5Tbps. Due to nonlinear effects, increasing capacity has become extremely difficult.

Bell Labs utilizes "phase-conjugated light" to effectively resolve signal distortion during transmission without the need for repeaters. "Phase-conjugated light" is based on digital interference technology that began large-scale development several years ago, generated through FPGA-based DSP digital signal processors.