Ciena and the Univ of Waterloo team to boost capacity of optical networks

Univ of Waterloo engineering researchers are collaborating with Ciena Corp — a Hanover MD-based telecommunications networking firm with a large R&D operation in Ottawa — on a project that will allow network operators and Internet providers to squeeze maximum capacity from fibre optic cables running along the planet’s ocean floors. The three-year collaboration — enabled with a $900,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council — will see the development of algorithms that quickly correct errors stemming from lost or dropped bits of data that occur during long-distance, high-speed transmissions through optical telecommunications networks. The algorithms, contained within electronic chips embedded in receiving and transmission equipment, will ultimately free up cable capacity in tiny increments to satisfy the ever-increasing appetite for bandwidth. The project is led by Dr Amir Khandani who will lead a team of eight post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Khandani holds the Ciena/NSERC Industrial Chair on Network Information Theory of Optical Channels. The U of W’s previous work with Ciena has resulted in seven patents with more pending and many student researchers are now employed by Ciena.