Project Name | PIC-FAST - Photonic Integrated Circuits For Access System in Telecom

Grant agreement ID | 101145256

Main Objective | Develop a novel PIC-based optical transceiver platform that significantly increases bandwidth for end-user premises while minimizing hardware upgrades, reducing costs, and improving energy efficiency

Leader Entity | PICadvanced, SA

Start Date | 2024-03-01

End Date | 2026-02-28

Total cost | 3,491,968.75 €

The number of internet-enabled users, devices and bandwidth-hungry applications is increasing constantly. Therefore, a new, more cost-effective and energy-efficient solution – adopting the existing fibre optical network – is needed. To solve this technology barrier, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are key. The EIC-funded PIC-FAST project aims to achieve a 10Gbps technology solution (compliant with the NG-PON2 standard) on a commercial form factor using PICs and integrating a processor and memories, thus combining the optical network unit and optical network terminal into a single product. Besides the key advantages of energy efficiency, reduced environmental footprint and more available bandwidth to end-users, this approach will also open the path to the next-generation optical technologies such as 25Gbps and 50Gbps.