WARP-5 addresses challenges of next-generation optical access networks by applying new and innovative concepts of coherent optical communications to the metro-access segment, in order to achieve ultimate performance merits for the guaranteed throughput, the optical loss budget and the per-network user density. The specific scientific and technological objectives are:

Objective 1: To break the Tb/s barrier for the capacity of fully passive optical networks
WARP-5 will exploit a novel modulation scheme to extend the network capacity beyond 1 Tb/s. Spectrally efficient optical QAM with up to 16 levels will be applied for down- and upstream. A low-cost InP modulator with small form-factor allows thereby a high guaranteed per-user data rate of up to 10 Gb/s while retaining a high spectral occupancy. A high per-PON user count of 1000 and more will be allocated within the optical operation bandwidth of a commercial off-the-shelf tunable laser diode.

Objective 2: To extend current loss budgets of passive optical networks by one order of magnitude
WARP-5 will exploit coherent detection and a novel amplification scheme in order to achieve a considerable loss budget extension in a long >100 km reach and >1:1000 split PON. A massive compatible loss budget of 60 dB will be supported without field-deployed active extender boxes or any other electrically supplied equipment.

Objective 3: To provide a flexible and smoothly scalable ultra-dense WDM metro-access network architecture
WARP-5 will investigate novel and robust multipoint-to-multipoint architectures for economically and ecologically feasible coherent ultra-dense WDM-PONs. Migration aspects such as multi- and interoperability will be taken into account, as well as important forward-looking aspects such as elastic networking for optimised utilisation of network capacity. An intra-network communication scheme will be developed in order to allow higher user densities and a “greener” communication within and between local network segments of the metro-access PON. Convergence of wireline and wireless communications through elaborated multiplexing techniques and reception schemes is envisaged.

Objective 4: To demonstrate guaranteed 10-Gb/s per-user connectivity for a passive optical 10-Tb/s metro-access network
WARP-5 will experimentally demonstrate the potential of the developed concepts and subsystems in a future network environment, including field-deployed fibre. All the functionalities required to validate end-to-end upstream and downstream multi-gigabit delivery at the physical layer will be implemented.