oOFDM - A GREAT RELIEF FOR STRAINED BROADBAND NETWORKS

Monash researchers have developed highly effective optical fibre technology to dramatically enhance the capacity of strained broadband networks. It’s also expected to improve the download times across the world.

The innovative technology called optical Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing, or oOFDM has been pioneered by the Monash researchers Professors Arthur Lowery and Jean Armstrong.

The ADSL principles employed by the technology enlarge the data transfer capacity over the traditional copper and wireless broadband to optical fibre cables. It increases their data capacity tenfold!

This is what Professor Lowery says about the technology, “More and more people are accessing broadband internet and using it for data-heavy activities, such as video. This poses a major challenge to the existing optical fibre infrastructure unless the capacity or bandwidth on existing fibres can be augmented.”

“The appeal of oOFDM is that it offers an inexpensive means of dramatically increasing long-haul capacity from the current transmission rate of 10 Gigabits per second to more than 100 Gigabits per second, over new and existing optical fibre.”

Professor Lowery is also of the opinion that the innovative technology would make it feasible for the telecommunications carriers to provide the consumers with faster download speeds at economical rates. He says, “Standard data transmission is equivalent to transmitting a series of single notes, but oOFDM is more like transmitting the notes grouped together in a chord. Since more data is packed into the chord, more information can be sent that is less prone to technical issues, as each signal travels down the optical fibre.”

Besides, Professor Cornish says, “Monash University is developing the research solutions to the key challenges facing our world. We are proudly supporting Ofidium and TTCF in taking this ground-breaking research to market,”

Monash Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Edwina Cornish expect the Ofidium technology to produce revolutionary changes in global telecommunications.

The Monash University patent is commercialized by Ofidium Pty Ltd. The company has recently secured an investment of $250,000 from the Trans Tasman Commercialization Fund (TTCF). It’s a $30 million Fund based in Melbourne. TTCF has supported the University earlier also. However, it’s the first investment by TTCF into Victorian university research. Besides, Starfish Ventures has also backed the company.