6G • RAN
Fronthaul OTN-6G
Direct Optical Transport Network for 6G Fronthaul
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical networks transporting ultra-high-rate fronthaul links directly from base station antennas to central cloud pools.
Technical Explanation
To support hundreds of gigahertz of aggregate bandwidth from distributed Sub-THz and XL-MIMO sites, 6G employs direct Optical Transport Networking (OTN). Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) multiplexes dozens of distinct laser colors over single optical fiber strands, dedicating independent optical lambdas to individual remote radio heads and delivering raw terabit throughput with speed-of-light propagation latency.
Key Functions
- Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) delivering terabits per second per fiber
- Speed-of-light optical transport latency (<5 microseconds per kilometer of fiber)
- Point-to-multipoint optical networks linking distributed cell-free radio clusters
- Deterministic sub-nanosecond optical clock distribution for coherent multi-point CoMP
- Immunity against external electromagnetic interference and lightning strikes on towers
Specifications
ITU-T G.709 Evolution, O-RAN Optical Transport Working Group
Interfaces
DWDM-LambdaOTN-Fronthaul
Related 6G Concepts
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