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O-Band Athermal AWG DWDM MUX/DMX Technology for 5G Fronthaul Optical Data Transport Network Solution
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‌Mar. 01, 2019

POINTek Inc. - a leading provider of DWDM optical mux/demultiplexer globally with manufacturing operations in Korea - today announced the availability of its new DWDM AWG multi/demultiplexer product, which can be used for 5G wireless fronthaul optical data transport network solution. The product has been tested and produced in mass quantity for 5G specific wireless fronthaul data transport application by a Tier 1 Mobile Network Operator (MNO). With this new product, MNO is able to integrate the multichannel O-band DWDM capability into the existing optical fiber lines. And to some MNOs whose prime concern is to make the most economical and efficient use of fiber investment, the availability of O-band DWDM AWGs will be a welcoming news as laying additional fiber infrastructure is quite expensive.

Having recognized interest in utilizing O-band AWGs and envisioned the specific need for deploying such O-band AWG on the existing passive optical data transport infrastructure, POINTek started designing and developing a DWDM overlay over CWDM solution, exploiting single CWDM wavelength band to be overlaid with multiple DWDM wavelengths by 16-CH O-band athermal AWG-based MUX/DMX devices, thereby making it suitable for 5G-oriented fronthaul optical data transport applications. Dr. TH Rhee, CEO of POINTek says, "Although a bona fide C-band based 40-CH DWDM MUX/DMX solution would be ideal, but some MNOs may not afford fielding a separate fiber dedicated to 5G-only application; hence, resorting to use their existing fiber infrastructure to extend and accommodate O-band data traffics concurrent with other data traffics on the existing optical fiber lines, and for this specific need and application, our DWDM-overlay-over-CWDM technology can provide the quickest and most economical way of 5G deployment to those MNOs equipped with fronthaul optical data transport WDM-enabled C-RAN architecture in either point-to-point or ring configuration linking RRU/AAU cell sites to DU."

‌Since the establishment of O(Open)-RAN alliance as announced at the WMC2018 Barcelona event, xRAN Forum merged with the long-standing C(Cloud)-RAN Alliance, many world-wide major MNOs and telecom system companies have been working together, forming 7 Workgroups (6 technical workgroups and 1 Operator Workgroup) each tasked with specific focus area of study and objective with the ultimate goal of producing objective specification for open, interoperable interfaces and RAN virtualization. As an optical network component vendor, POINTek is committed to support 5G-related technology advancements that are different from previous wireless communication technologies, especially in the bandwidth delivery capabilities. Operators are faced with rolling out new 5G services soon with increasingly-sophisticated user-centric information and experience associated with broadly-defined 5G application scenarios such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband, Massive Machine Type Communication, and Ultra Reliable Low Latency, which all together demanding breakthroughs in many fronts of 5G service and as such require accompanying data transport network architecture and devices. To date, POINTek's continual investment in research and technology development was in step with meeting ever increasing data traffic volume in the coming age of 5G world.
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‌Dr. Donald Yu, Chief Marketing Officer of POINTek sates, "We are very pleased to introduce O-band 16-CH DWDM MUX/DMX in support of a major Operator in Korea, ready for 5G service next few months."
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"Because of fundamental underlying nature of physical layer architecture solution, this type of 5G AWG MUX/DMX device can be used for any xHaul solution whether the device is deployed for Fronthaul. Middlehaul, or Longhaul," according to Yu. Yu adds that this product is not for every Operator, but as long as the Operator has pertinent Optical Data Transport Network in operation, this product is cable of providing channelized passive DWDM solution for deploying 5G Service."‌
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This 5G innovation O-band 16-CH DWDM MUX/DMUX product can be seen at POINTek booth 6007 at the OFC2019 Exposition in San Diego Convention Center, March 5~7, 2019.

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