Vodafone probes Effect Photonics’ optical transceivers

Vodafone will soon start testing Effect Photonics’ optical transceiver technology in its mobile network. “The first results of the tests are positive,” says Boudewijn Docter, president at Effect Photonics. “A working link has been established in the lab with all filters and other components that are also present in a real connection. The next step is testing in the field.”

Eindhoven-based Effect Photonics develops and markets optical transceivers for 5G and data center applications. Its products are based on a single photonic integrated circuit (PIC), featuring dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) functionality, which increases capacity, and tunable lasers, which enable automatic channel tuning.

The tests with Vodafone take place at the 5G Hub, a breeding ground for 5G technology and applications set up by Brainport Development, Ericsson, Vodafone and the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. At the campus, it has a 5G network available, consisting of the existing 4G frequency bands 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz and the 5G 3.5 GHz test frequency.