NTT and NEC Enable Sensing in IOWN All-Photonics Network

NTT Corporation, NTT EAST Corporation, NTT WEST Corporation and NEC Corporation have devised a connection configuration to add optical fiber sensing functions to the IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN). By applying this configuration to multiple routes of optical fiber for communication already laid underground (in the service area of NTT WEST in Osaka City), the collaborators have demonstrated the ability to grasp area-wide traffic trends using optical fiber sensing, and to visualize and analyze traffic conditions in real time.

For the experiment, the collaborators connected five vibration sensing devices to the APN-Gateway (APN-G) to simultaneously measure surface vibration on five routes of existing underground optical fiber communication cables in Osaka City. Data collection spanned from December 2023 to January 2024.

Connection configuration for implementing optical fiber sensing via the IOWN All-Photonics Network. Courtesy of NTT.

By analyzing this traffic vibration with a vehicle speed analysis algorithm, the team was able to visualize in real time the average vehicle speed of vehicles on open roads, the amount of traffic on the road and its changes over time in a 200 m mesh granularity. In addition, it was confirmed that the results of the analysis of vehicle speed and number of vehicles tended to agree with the correct data measured at five sites.

Traffic flow meters are typically limited to major roads at intervals of several kilometers and require the permanent installation and operation of a large number of sensors. The researchers believe that the fiber sensing process could provide a simpler method for traffic flow measurement.

Following the success of the experiment, NTT and NEC expect to continue developing fiber sensing technologies toward commercial adoption through further collaborations with other companies and discussions at the IOWN Global Forum.