Recent advances in developing nonlinear optical techniques for processing serial digital information at high speed are reviewed. The field has been transformed by the advent of semiconductor nonlinear devices capable of operation at 100 gigabits per second and higher, well beyond the current speed limits of commercial electronics. These devices are expected to become important in future high-capacity communications networks by allowing digital regeneration and other processing functions to be performed on data signals "on the fly" in the optical domain.

This paper provides a tutorial overview of the latest generation of passive optical network (PON) technology standards nearing completion in ITU-T. The system is termed NG-PON2 and offers a fiber capacity of 40 Gbit/s by exploiting multiple wavelengths at dense wavelength division multiplexing channel spacing and tunable transceiver technology in the subscriber terminals (ONUs). Here, the focus is on the requirements from network operators that are driving the standards developments and the technology selection prior to standardization. A prestandard view of the main physical layer optical specifications is also given, ahead of final ITU-T approval.Index Terms-Optical access, optical communication equipment, optical fiber communication, optical fiber networks, optical network (PON), time division multiple access, wavelength division multiplexing.

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