NTT and Cailabs Develop Next-Generation Optical Ground Stations, Aiming to Connect Satellites with Data Centers

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan's NTT and French photonics company Cailabs have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct collaborative research on next-generation optical ground stations and integrated space-air-ground optical communication infrastructure. The collaboration includes integrating NTT's digital coherent optical communication and network control technologies into Cailabs' optical ground stations, and studying the direct connection of some ground stations to nearby data centers through NTT's All-Photonics Network (APN), forming end-to-end optical communication links among satellites, ground optical stations, terrestrial optical networks, and data centers.

The two parties will first advance the system integration and communication demonstration of digital coherent technology with optical ground stations, and gradually increase the transmission capacity of optical links based on verification results. Digital coherent technology processes the amplitude, phase, and polarization information of optical waves to improve the transmission capability of optical communication systems; NTT will also introduce optical network control technology from terrestrial networks into satellite ground communication systems.

The network control system will coordinate multiple optical ground stations and APN resources. When weather conditions such as clouds prevent a single optical ground station from establishing a stable link, the system can switch to other available ground stations and continue transmitting satellite data through the terrestrial all-optical network. The two parties will also study the unified orchestration of ground stations, network links, and data center resources, establishing a control architecture for the coordinated operation of multiple optical ground stations.

NTT's APN is part of the IOWN next-generation communication infrastructure system, connecting terminals and network nodes through end-to-end optical wavelength paths, with a focus on high-speed, large-capacity, and low-latency data transmission. This collaboration extends the APN connection scope to satellite optical communication ground infrastructure, and plans to select Cailabs optical ground stations near NTT data centers for network connection research.

Cailabs is expanding its optical ground communication facilities. In September, the company launched the OGSaaS (Optical Ground Station as a Service) program, planning to build an initial batch of approximately 15 international optical ground stations, at least 4 of which will be located in the United States; it is also building its first transportable optical ground station in Rennes, France, with the related system adopting 10Gbps bidirectional optical communication technology, and up to 12 units planned for production by 2027.

NTT and Cailabs will subsequently evaluate expanding the optical ground station network and connecting more stations to NTT data centers and APN. The related systems will be incorporated into NTT's "C89" space business system, with follow-up work including optical communication verification, ground station and terrestrial network connection, coordinated control of network resources, and end-to-end architecture development for commercial satellite communication services.