Thursday, November 14, 2024

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Nicholls Theatre

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Details

Ciena's "Network as a Sensor" technology, leveraging cutting-edge fiber optics and advanced AI analytics, should be able to provide a transformative capability for military applications. The integration of this technology should be able to significantly enhance various aspects of military operations, from monitoring subsea cables to tracking adversary submarine movements and enhancing command and control (C2) and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Coherent modem technology has rapidly advanced from being able to provide 40Gbps per wavelength transport circa 2010 to supporting 400-800Gbps transport today. We are on the cusp of seeing the next generation of modems arrive on the market. These devices will support up to 1.6Tbps transport per wave and by virtue of their powerful internal signal processing, can also provide deep insights into the state of the signal propagation path. Since fiber is sensitive to pressure and movement, the act of propagating and receiving high-rate data along the optical path also provides insight into the state of the fiber and can turn the network infrastructure itself into a sensor. Modern coherent optical transmission technology and network analytics enable the measurement, correlation, and analysis of a rich set of observables related to the health of the physical fiber plant. These observables include State of Polarization and many others that are sensitive to physical stress and can be generated by the modems themselves to detect direct threats to the infrastructure or to generate indications of natural events for which the fiber itself can be used as a sensor. In this update, we will describe the technological underpinnings of current and future coherent modems and outline future sensing capabilities that could be available to augment today’s transmission systems when next generation modems begin hitting the market in 2025. Streaming telemetry from next generation modems combined with AI and Machine Learning offers an opportunity to detect both natural and man-made events acting on the fiber plant. Ciena’s "Network as a Sensor" technology should be able to offer revolutionary enhancements to military capabilities, aligning with both strategic and operational needs. It should not only strengthens the resilience and responsiveness of military communications and surveillance but could also introduce new dimensions of environmental and adversary monitoring. This comprehensive approach should not only secures infrastructure but also leverage information for superior tactical and strategic advantage. By adopting Ciena’s technologies, military operations should be able to achieve heightened levels of readiness, security, and effectiveness, ensuring they remain well-equipped to handle the challenges of modern defense scenarios.

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Speaker