Domestic researchers have succeeded in developing fast and flexible next-generation networking technology needed for communication networks, which are called the capillaries of the digital age. This opens the way to simultaneously address the demand for customized speeds and dense optical connections, as it allows for high-speed internet, mobile, and business services to be handled with a single device.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 19th that it completed the functional verification of 'AnyConnect' optical access networking technology last month at the SK Broadband Seoul Dongjak Information Center together with SK Telecom, SK Broadband, HFR, and OISolution.

The research team stated that this demonstration confirmed that it can address various demands requiring customized speed and optical connectivity.

Optical access networks are fiber-optic-based networks widely used in various locations, ranging from front-haul systems connecting high-speed internet and mobile communication equipment in homes to factories, offices, and buildings.

Just as capillaries in our bodies supply air and nutrients, it plays the role of providing the information and data we need in the digital society.

The newly developed AnyConnect optical access networking technology combines the advantages of 'high speed' and 'large-scale connectivity' provided by existing optical communication.

Furthermore, it is suitable as an optical access network technology for a digital society where services and devices must always be connected with high speed and low latency.

Existing optical access networks were centered on high-speed internet providing speeds of 10 gigabits (Gbps) per subscriber.

Furthermore, the coexistence of purpose-oriented equipment from various manufacturers resulted in a closed and rigid structure that limited the ability to add or modify new functions.

The technology developed by ETRI researchers upgrades 10-gigabit (Gbps) internet technology to the next level, providing speeds of 25 gigabits (Gbps) while also being able to accommodate mobile devices.

Also, open and It has a flexible structure.

The research team stated that the core of this technology is 'virtualization-based slicing' technology and 'disaggregation' technology.

'Virtualization-based slicing' technology manages and controls optical access equipment from different manufacturers and with different functions as if they were a single device using software, and provides customized network resources for each application.

In addition, cooperative response bandwidth allocation technology was developed through the exchange of packet transmission information between optical access network equipment and mobile equipment, making it possible to utilize this developed technology up to mobile fronthaul.

'Disaggregation' technology separates the Optical Line Terminal (OLT), an existing optical access network device, into hardware and software components, configures each as a separate device, and connects them via a standard interface.

The developed technology can be applied to existing optical access networks simply by upgrading the equipment.

It can be used without the burden of time and cost associated with redesigning optical access networks, so it is expected to be widely used in B5G and 6G communications.

“The technology developed this time represents a groundbreaking evolution of Passive Optical Network (PON) technology from a traditionally hardware-centric approach to a software-centric one. "It is highly significant that we have established a technological foundation capable of efficiently meeting the requirements of optical access networks, which have become more complex and diverse alongside the development of mobile services," he explained.

This research has been conducted as a joint study with SK Telecom, SK Broadband, HFR, and OISolution since 2019 with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'Development of B5G Optical Access Acceleration and Slicing Technology' project.

During the research period, the research team is also leading global research in the relevant field, including 7 invited presentations in SCI and prominent international academic conferences and 38 domestic and international patent applications.

The research team plans to conduct research on next-generation optical access core technology that applies artificial intelligence to intelligently provide optimal network resources for each use and purpose, while also providing speeds of 50 gigabits per second (Gbps).

The plan is to secure core technologies applicable to optical access networks, which are the capillaries of the digital society, and future intellectual property rights through continuous research, and to drive the development of the domestic industry.