China Unicom successfully trials ADVA Optical Networking G.metro technology for mobile fronthaul

Prototype Network Utilizes Self-Tuning Transponders to Radically Reduce Complexity and Cost

Keeping pace with ever-increasing mobile data demand is simply impossible without a fundamental change to network architecture. This successful proof-of-concept shows that our innovation in G.metro technology is the answer.

ADVA Optical Networking announced today that China Unicom has conducted a successful field trial of its G.metro (WDM-PON) technology in an advanced fronthaul network. The wavelength-agnostic prototype uses a single bidirectional fiber link between head-end and tail-end equipment, reducing the requirement for wavelength configuration and management. By leveraging autonomous transponders, this innovative technique dramatically reduces cost and complexity for metro access network applications, including mobile fronthaul/backhaul, fixed broadband access and enterprise networks. After successfully evaluating ADVA Optical Networking’s G.metro technology, China Unicom showcased the device to customers at a laboratory demonstration in Beijing.

“Due to booming demand for mobile data, it’s become essential that we find innovative ways to increase capacity. Converged metro-access networks are key to this, but so are reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency. That’s what ADVA Optical Networking’s strategy is able to deliver,” said Guangquan Wang, editor, G.metro recommendation and director, network technology research institute, China Unicom. “With this field trial and lab demo, we’ve shown how to achieve these efficiencies and ensure low-latency performance. During the trial, the prototype was installed in one of our central offices in Tianjin to replace the transmission link of one of our working LTE stations. The results showed that the new technology integrated seamlessly with our current wireless equipment and had no impact on services whatsoever.”

The demonstration revealed how this innovative new architecture significantly increases fiber capacity in access systems. ADVA Optical Networking’s prototype technology, which is defined by the ITU-T G.metro standard, directly distributes DWDM wavelengths to remote radio units, base stations, desktops or end users. This enables up to 40 DWDM wavelength channels with a grid of 100GHz. Each channel is able to transmit data at 10Gbit/s over a 20km fiber distance without optical amplification. With a centralized wavelength locker at the head-end, cost and complexity at the tail-end are significantly reduced. This enhanced efficiency will be crucial for converged metro-access and for 5G networks in the near future. The prototype also proved to be fully compatible with current commercial wireless technology, paving the way for imminent real-world deployment.

“Today’s service providers are facing an unprecedented challenge. Keeping pace with ever-increasing mobile data demand is simply impossible without a fundamental change to network architecture,” commented Michael Eiselt, director, advanced technology, ADVA Optical Networking. “This successful proof-of-concept shows that our innovation in G.metro technology is the answer. After five years of continuous development, we’ve demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of the autonomous wavelength tuning concept. We’ve shown how it works in a live network to significantly reduce the overall cost of data transport. Now that our prototype has been trialed successfully with zero errors, G.metro technology has moved a big step closer to real-world deployment.”