Real-Time 7-Core SDM Transmission System Using Commercial 400 Gbit/s OTN Transceivers and Network Management System

doi:10.12142/ZTECOM.202503009

ZTE Communications ›› 2025, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (3): 81-88.DOI: 10.12142/ZTECOM.202503009

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Real-Time 7-Core SDM Transmission System Using Commercial 400 Gbit/s OTN Transceivers and Network Management System

CUI Jian¹(), GU Ninglun¹, CHANG Cheng¹, SHI Hu²^,³, YAN Baoluo²^,³

^1.Department of Networks, China Mobile Communications Group Co. , Ltd. , Beijing 100033, China
^2.WDM System Department of Wireline Product R&D Institute, ZTE Corporation, Shenzhen 518057, China
^3.State Key Laboratory of Mobile Network and Mobile Multimedia Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China

Received:2025-02-21 Online:2025-09-25 Published:2025-09-11
About author:CUI Jian (cuijianwl@chinamobile.com) is an engineer at the Department of Networks, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. He received his BS and PhD degrees from the School of Electronics, Peking University, China in 2018 and 2023, respectively. He has published more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, Optics Express, and Optical Fiber Communication Conference. His current research interests include optical networks, optical communication systems, and space-division multiplexed transmission techniques.
GU Ninglun is the Deputy General Manager of the Department of Networks, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., where he is responsible for research and strategic advancement in next-generation network infrastructure, intelligent IT operations, and digital-intelligent transformation. He serves as the Deputy Chief Engineer and a Professor-Level Senior Engineer at China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., and is honored with the State Council Special Allowance. His work has been recognized with multiple international honors, including the Beyond Connectivity Excellence in Operations Award, Outstanding Contribution Award, and Digital Showcase Award of TM Forum.
CHANG Cheng is the Deputy Manager of the Division of Fundamental Network Maintenance at the Department of Networks, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., where he is responsible for management and technical research on optical transmission networks and IP networks. He received his MS degree from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China in 2012. His work has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Second Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award from the China Institute of Communications and the First Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award from China Mobile. His current research interests include next-generation intelligent optical transport networks and IP networks.
SHI Hu is a chief engineer of optical technology and a chief expert in optical pre-research at ZTE Corporation, where he is responsible for pre-research and product development of optical transmission technology. With over a decade of dedicated research in optical technology, he has made major contributions to the development of 100G/200G and 400G/B400G optical transmission systems through innovations in network planning, system design, and device optimization. His work has been recognized with multiple honors, including the First Prize of Science and Technology Innovation from the Chinese Optical Engineering Society and the First Prize of ICT China. He has participated in three national key research and development projects and published over 70 research papers and invention patents.
YAN Baoluo has been conducting research at ZTE Corporation for over three years, specializing in optical fiber communication systems and algorithm development. He has published more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including the Optical Fiber Communication Conference, European Conference on Optical Communication, and Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics. Additionally, he serves as a reviewer for several academic journals, such as the IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology and IEEE Communications Letters. His research interests focus on optical transmission systems and intelligent algorithms.

Abstract

Abstract:

Space-division multiplexing (SDM) utilizing uncoupled multi-core fibers (MCF) is considered a promising candidate for next-generation high-speed optical transmission systems due to its huge capacity and low inter-core crosstalk. In this paper, we demonstrate a real-time high-speed SDM transmission system over a field-deployed 7-core MCF cable using commercial 400 Gbit/s backbone optical transport network (OTN) transceivers and a network management system. The transceivers employ a high noise-tolerant quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation format with a 130 Gbaud rate, enabled by optoelectronic multi-chip module (OE-MCM) packaging. The network management system can effectively manage and monitor the performance of the 7-core SDM OTN system and promptly report failure events through alarms. Our field trial demonstrates the compatibility of uncoupled MCF with high-speed OTN transmission equipment and network management systems, supporting its future deployment in next-generation high-speed terrestrial cable transmission networks.

Key words: multi-core fiber, real-time transmission, optical transport network, field trial, network management system

CUI Jian, GU Ninglun, CHANG Cheng, SHI Hu, YAN Baoluo. Real-Time 7-Core SDM Transmission System Using Commercial 400 Gbit/s OTN Transceivers and Network Management System[J]. ZTE Communications, 2025, 23(3): 81-88.

Figures/Tables 11

Figure 1 Field-deployed MCF cable for our trial: (a) the route; (b) cross section of the 7-core fiber in the cable; (c) the length of each cable segment and the schematic diagram of cascading six MCFs for long-span transmission

Table 1 Partial fundamental characteristics of the 7-core fiber after cabling

Diameter of Cladding/μm	Core-to-Core Distance/μm	Mode Field Diameter/μm	Dispersion Coefficient/(ps·nm^-1·km^-1)	Attenuation Coefficient/(dB/km)	Inter-Core Crosstalk/(dB/10 km)	Bending Loss withR=30 mm/(dB/100 turns)
150	42	9.0	≤22	≤0.22	≤-50	<0.1

Table 2 Span loss and total inter-core crosstalk of the 106 km 7-core CDM link (Unit: dB)

Parameter	Core 1	Core 2	Core 3	Core 4	Core 5	Core 6	Core 7
Span loss	37.0	35.7	29.6	34.6	36.0	35.0	35.4
Inter-core crosstalk	-41.5	-43.3	-40.5	-43.0	-44.0	-42.9	-42.0

Figure 2 System setup of the real-time 106 km CDM field trial using commercial 400 Gbit/s OTN transceivers and a network management system

Figure 3 Measured BER values as a function of single-wavelength input power at (a) 1 549.72 nm and (b) 1 589.57 nm of the 7-core CDM transmission system

Figure 4 BER performance of the 400 Gbit/s 7-core 80-λ transmission system over C+L bands

Figure 5 Interface of the network management system for querying end-to-end multi-layer transmission link details

Figure 6 Interface of the network management system for alarms queries

Figure 7 Interface of the network management system for service latency queries

Figure 8 Interface of the network management system when service latency exceeds the threshold

Figure 9 Interfaces of the network management system for (a) optical network health monitoring configuration and (b) sub-health link information

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Real-Time 7-Core SDM Transmission System Using Commercial 400 Gbit/s OTN Transceivers and Network Management System

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