- Ciena is a major player in subsea fiber optics
- Now, the company is exploring the use of fiber optic sensing in subsea scenarios
- A board member of the Fiber Optic Sensing Association weighs in on the topic
You could consider the fiber optical cables that crisscross the globe as the world’s broadband arteries — arteries that also span oceans, of course. At last week’s Ciena Vectors conference, Ciena’s Chief Technology Officer for International Jürgen Hatheier told Fierce Network that the company’s subsea optical business is now diving into fiber optic sensing.
Fiber optic sensing is a technology that uses the same fiber optic cables that are used for transmitting data to also detect and measure physical changes in the environment. In effect, the fiber optic cables not only transmit data but also act as giant sensors.
The cables can monitor things such as temperature, vibration or acoustic signals, pressure and chemical presence.
“We are now making a step forward from a research perspective to figure out, how can we use those global fiber networks, those gazillions of miles of fiber, and our technology to give you more value, get more value out of the networks,” Hatheier said.
Ciena is a major player in subsea fiber optics, lighting up more than half of the world's subsea cables. One of the most obvious uses for subsea fiber optic sensing would be to detect activity that could result in a fiber cut, whether malicious or innocent.
Aside from evil-doers, subsea fiber optic sensing could potentially be used by scientists to study the sounds of creatures such as whales.
Commercially, fiber optic sensing could provide a new revenue stream for the cable owners.
Hatheier did temper our excitement about fiber optic sensing a bit by saying, “It's a very complicated ecosystem.”
He cited concerns about regulatory issues and questions about who owns the data that might be collected by the fiber and whether there would be any data privacy issues.
“There's a lot that still needs to be figured out as an ecosystem,” said Hatheier. “But overall, I find the technology is so cool. I see a lot of applications that can really benefit and drive extra value from these assets that we have deployed.”
Fiber Optic Sensing Association weighs in
To dive deeper into the use of sensing and privacy concerns, Fierce Network checked in with Paul Dickinson, a board member of the Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) and chairman of the FOSA advisory council.
He said there’s no personal data that is detected by the fiber optic sensing technology that would raise any privacy concerns. “I mean, when it comes to damage prevention, for example, what you have is a situation where, on a GIS map, you get a location, usually within 10 meters, or something linearly along the fiber,” said Dickinson. “And it tells you something's occurring at this particular location. That's the data that is provided.”
In terms of who owns that data he said, “I would argue it's the one who implements the cost and the application of the hardware and software who owns that data. Once the data gets processed, that's what gets passed over to the end customer.”
In terms of “end customers,” FOSA is working with telecom providers who want to monitor activity along their own fibers. But it’s also working with public utilities, transportation companies and smart cities, to name a few, who can benefit from procuring sensing data along fiber optic cables.
Members of FOSA include some familiar names in the telecom space such as Corning, Dura-Line and Viavi. But it also includes companies that belong to other verticals, such as Texas 811 (a call-before-you-dig customer service center); and IndianOil (an oil and gas company in India). He said the organization “cares very much about subsea fiber optic sensing.”
And in terms of subsea cable cuts, he said, “It’s a perfect application” of the sensing technology.