Intent and Context-Aware Optical Networks

Fibre sensing is undergoing a resurgence of interest due to the potential of integrating it into the telecommunications infrastructure and leveraging this infrastructure to achieve scale and widespread applicability. This is a trend that is occurring in both wireless and wired/fibre systems. Through this approach, the backbone fibre networks can be turned into a massive sensor for detecting earthquakes, tsunamis and a host of geographic disturbances [1], [2]. On a metro scale, networks have also been shown to detect the flow of road traffic and transport systems [3] using both the coherent communication signals themselves and a variety of sensing probes. These methods are largely compatible with high data rate dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) networks and a large volume of research is carried out to improve the sensitivity and performance of the sensing technologies [4]. While promising, these early experiments remain proof of concept tests, in which the sensing technologies are a bolted-on novelty. Full exploitation of the benefits of the integrated sensing and communication (IASC), such as improved performance, increased security of the infrastructure and the creation of new services, requires sensing that is not just an add-on service, but a key part of the operation and performance of the communication system. This means a control and management of a sensing system that is compatible with optical network control and management, allowing for sensing signals to be deployed and routed across the network similar to the data channels, and the intelligence gained from the sensing system informing the operation of the communications network.