Memorandum of Understanding

for the implementation of a European Concerted Research Action designated as COST Action 270 "Reliability of Optical Components and Devices in Communications Systems and Networks"

Contents

    The MoU of COST270
A. Background
B. Objectives and Benefits
C. Technical programme
D. Organisation and time schedule
E. Dissemination of results
F. Economic dimension

 

- DRAFT

Memorandum of Understanding

for the implementation of a European Concerted Research Action designated as COST Action 270 "Reliability of Optical Components and Devices in Communications Systems and Networks"

The Signatories of this Memorandum of Understanding, declaring their common intention to participate in the Concerted Action referred to above and described in the Technical Annex to the Memorandum, have reached the following understanding:

1. The Action will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the document COST 400/94 "Rules and Procedures for Implementing COST Actions", the contents of which are fully known to the Signatories.

2. The main objective of the Action is to develop methods to ascertain and improve the reliability of the new types of optical components and devices in communications networks and transmissions systems including aspects regarding network and component costs, environmental conditions and installation procedures for equipment in core transport networks, in subscriber access networks and in in-house (local area) networks.

3. To this end, cooperative effort involving universities and research centres as well as telecommunication R&D establishments and industries is required.

4. The overall cost of the activities carried out under the Action has been estimated, on the basis of information available during the planning of the Action, at EUR 22,5 million at 1998 prices.

5. The Memorandum of Understanding will take effect on being signed by at least five Signatories.

6. The Memorandum of Understanding will remain in force for a period of 5 years, unless the duration of the Action is modified according to the provisions of Chapter 6 of the document referred to in Point 1.

TECHNICAL ANNEX

COST ACTION 270

Reliability of Optical Components and Devices
in Communications Systems and Networks

A. BACKGROUND

A.1 Introduction

The optical transmission technique, the basis for the information society, is rapidly penetrating into core transport networks, subscriber access networks and in-house networks. The high bandwidth, capacity and speed requirements of communications are at the moment causing a rapid increase of the use of optical fibre-to-the-home, fibre-in-house and wavelength multiplexed high capacity core and long distance systems and networks. It is important to ascertain the hardware reliability (optical and mechanical properties) of the optical components, devices, systems and networks, because the environmental conditions are different, in most of the cases even more severe than in earlier optical long-distance networks and systems and because new installations techniques are to be used. At the same time, costs of the new networks, systems, devices, materials, components and installation must be kept as low as possible.

A number of new types of advanced fibre optic components *, new types of fibre optic devices **, new types of optical fibres, light weight optical cables etc. is coming into the market. The density (= number of components per installed fibre kilometre) of fibre splices, connectors, couplers, splitters, attenuators, isolators, fan-outs, filters, switches, add/drop-filters and wavelength routers, single and multimode band pass filters, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM, DWDM) components, dispersion compensators, gain flattened optical amplifiers, optical amplifiers, DFB fibre lasers etc., will increase continuously. New types of optical components are coming to the market to fulfil the new demands. They will mostly be used in conditions that are harsher than the service conditions so far used for conventional optical network components.

Thus there is a need to coordinate activities in the field of experimental development and laboratory/field testing of optical components, devices, networks and systems in respect of their reliability in European countries.

A.2 State of the art

The previous reliability action COST 246 "Materials and Reliability of Passive Optical Components and Fibre Amplifiers in Telecommunications Networks" ran during 1993 - 1998 on basics studies of fibre optic components and networks. The results are published in the book: Tarja Volotinen, Willem Griffioen, Michel Gadonna and Hans Limberger: Reliability of Optical Fibres and Components, Final Report of COST 246, Springer-Verlag, London 1999, (ISBN 185233147X).

The most important results of COST 246 were the completing of reliability studies on standard optical fibres (ITU G.651, G.652 etc.), cables, cable installation techniques and on the environmental conditions of optical fibres and fibre optic components in conventional optical networks. Studies were also started (but not completed) on fibre fusion splices, fibre connectors, fibre amplifiers and fibre Bragg grating components. The new action can therefore easily make use of the results and achievements of COST 246 as a very important input to its work.

The new action will most probably, as for COST 246, choose some of the types of components, devices systems and networks, on which it will mainly concentrate in its work. It would be too huge a task to study all applications and components at the same time. However, it is good to keep the scope of the action open for all kinds of components and devices, because of the synergy effects common in reliability studies. It is typical for these kinds of studies that the knowledge of failure mechanisms for one type of component helps to understand the behaviour of another component.

Similar research and working methods, as well as research tasks (from studies of failure mechanisms, service environment, life test methods and lifetime theories to studies of field behaviour), as were used by COST 246, can be used for the new action. Every new type of component has different optical and mechanical failure modes and mechanisms, which are dependent on its structure, packaging, materials, service environment, or in some cases on the transmitted signal, installation or system or network configuration. Therefore all of the abovementioned research steps must be performed for each new type of component in order to be able to characterise and ascertain the reliability of a new component type.

The necessary research competence, experience, resources and laboratory equipment for this new action is available in the 10 European countries, which were involved in COST Action 246. In addition, some new countries and entities are interested in participating (see the list of interested participants attached).

B. OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS

B.1 Objectives of Action

The main objective of the Action is to develop methods to ascertain and improve the reliability of the new types of optical components and devices in communications networks and transmissions systems including aspects regarding network and component costs, environmental conditions and installation procedures for equipment in core transport networks, in subscriber access networks and in in-house (local area) networks

Thus most of the effort at first will be to improve the understanding of the failure mechanisms of new types of optical components and devices in new high capacity/bandwidth/speed systems and networks. Simultaneously, information on their field behaviour will be gathered to study the effect of the service environment on the components, devices, networks and systems. Following this, efforts will be concentrated on improving life test methods. Finally, lifetime estimation methods will be analysed and developed.

It is also an objective that this research work will be done by cooperation between component and system manufactures and research institutes and universities. The work will also use all the results and achievements of earlier reliability actions (COST 246, 218 etc.). The work will influence the suppliers in developing and manufacturing reliable components and devices. The final objective is also the appropriate transfer of results and experience to the standardisation bodies, such as ETSI, CECC, IEC, and ITU, in the form of input and help for standardisation.

B.2 Benefits of the Action

The benefits of the Action will be:

• improvement in understanding of failure mechanisms, material properties etc. of new optical components, devices, systems and networks in respect of their optical and mechanical reliability

• improvement in materials and manufacturing processes of new optical components and devices in respect of reliability

• improvement of the materials and reliability behaviour of new optical components and devices in respect of high optical power and full capacity use

• improvement in life testing methods and life time estimation theories (for new optical components, devices, systems and networks)

• input and help with standardisation

• benefits for transmission systems and high capacity/bandwidth/speed core, subscriber and in-house networks from a reliability point of view.

C. TECHNICAL PROGRAMME

The Action will focus on the identification and measurement of the key parameters for optical components, devices systems and networks, considering any kind of related reliability problem. In this respect, the Action will carry out modelling and measurement for characterisation of optical components and devices from the optical and mechanical reliability point of view. This includes:

• Studying the long-term behaviour and failure mechanisms of new optical components and devices under variable chemical and physical service conditions.

• Studying the impact of various designs, materials, structure and packaging on the reliability of new components and devices.

• Studying the environmental conditions of service for new components, and specific requirements for different applications, such as aerial, underwater, subscriber networks and in-house applications.

• Studying specific effects of the long-term use of high optical energy on the behaviour of optical fibres and components.

• Developing lifetime calculation methods (including experimental parameters and methods) for optical components, devices, systems and networks.

• Studying and developing life testing procedures and organising joint and "round-robin" tests on the lifetime testing methods and on the components.

• Collecting field test data and experience.

The objects of the reliability studies

The objects will be chosen from the following list by the management committee and the working groups of the new action:

• New types of optical fibres and cables (e.g. plastics fibres, fluoride fibres, laser fibres, amplifier fibres, subscriber and in house cables etc.)

• New types of fibre splicing and splice protection methods

• New types of optical connectors

• Passive and active branching components and devices (couplers, splitters, fan-outs, add/drop-filters, switches, optical cross-connect modules, optical circulators etc.)

• Attenuators, isolators, filters, WDMs, DWDMs, wavelength converters etc.

• Optical components of the fibre optic devices (low cost transceivers for home/office/desk, etc.)

• Optical fibre amplifiers and their components

• Dispersion compensators of different types

• Components based on planar waveguide Bragg-gratings and intracore optical fibre Bragg-gratings (tuneable filters, single mode and multiple band pass filters, OADM's, DFB fibre lasers, wavelength routers etc.)

• Other optical components and devices to be used in optical transmission systems and networks

• Development of methods to estimate the reliability of optical transmission devices and systems

• Development of methods to estimate reliability of optical networks (long distance networks, core networks, subscriber access networks and/or in house networks).

D. ORGANISATION AND TIME SCHEDULE

The Management Committee of the action shall set up the working and study groups and the time schedule, so that the coordination and consolidation of work produced by different parties and even by the other parallel and earlier optical COST actions will be achieved. The working groups can be, for example, established on different types of components or on different types of tasks. Each working group will have its own study groups depending on the priority order of the tasks and resources available, for example on failure mechanisms, test methods, field data, lifetime theories and service environment.

The working methods will include:

• Interlaboratory cooperation and comparisons of theoretical and experimental results

• Joint experiments, "round-robin" tests and questionnaires

• Exchange of results

• Workshops and topical meetings with invited speakers from all over the world

• Reporting and publication of relevant results

• Collaboration with other optical COST actions in specific tests

• Liaison activities with the standardisation bodies.

Management

The form of cooperation is that Signatories are represented in the Management Committee (MC) by delegates who will:

• attend and contribute to meetings of the MC, a maximum of two per year;

• be involved in an active program fitting in with the objectives and timescale of the action;

• take responsibility for specific items of the action;

• report at least annually the results to the COST Technical Committee Telecommunications and seek for their help and advice to achieve a working liaison between the action and the related COST and other European research actions (ACTS, IST, etc.);

• set up working and study groups for specific items within the action and encourage forming up national task groups when necessary;

• be responsible for liaison between the MC and national research and standardisation groups in the participating countries;

• keep close coordination with related optical COST actions.

The MC shall also administer the financing, grant-holding, secretarial services and organisation of Workshops and meetings of the project according to the present rules of the COST organisation as well as those of the national COST organisations. When necessary the MC may arrange working interlaboratory comparisons of results, technical meetings, workshops, laboratory visits, etc, in order to achieve the necessary rapid exchange of information. The MC shall also prepare a final report of the action in order to disseminate the action results and achievements.

Duration of the Action

The duration of the Action is five years. This duration is necessary because life tests cannot usually be started or run for all kinds of components at the same time. They usually take at least half a year to get started, up to 1,5 years to run and at least half a year more to analyse and publish the results. During a four-year action only one set of life tests can be run, while during a five-year Action two sets of tests could be run consecutively. By taking the longer duration time from the outset, the resources required for obtaining an extension of the Action can be avoided, and the maximum effectiveness of the Action achieved.

E. DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS AND COORDINATION WITH OTHER COST ACTIONS, RESEARCH PROJECTS AND STANDARDISATION BODIES

The contact and cross-fertilisation with the other optical communications actions (COST actions working with high capacity network designs and properties, modelling, developing and measuring the functional properties of optical components and devices, and characterising of advanced fibres and components for new photonic networks) is important for stimulation and coordination of the work. However, the tasks of this action itself, as well as the people working with reliability issues of commercially available well-developed components, are different in each action. The contact with other actions can conveniently be organised having coordination meetings and attendance every second year at a collaboration-organised conference, such as OFMC.

Contacts and collaboration with standardisation bodies, such as ETSI, CECC and IEC, can be organised via liaison agreements and in the case of international bodies such as IEC via the national members of standardisation bodies, as has become a tradition during COST 246.

F. ECONOMIC DIMENSION

Estimated number of signatories: 10

Cost (KEURs) per signatory per year:

Economic dimension:

The EC support to coordination and concertation tasks is expected to be commensurate with EC support usually provided for similar COST Actions.

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