Today in a talk with Alberto Bianchi

Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background.

My name is Alberto Bianchi, Senior Researcher in Ericsson Research in Pisa. My interests are in the design of optical systems and networks, photonics switching based on integrated photonics, mobile backhaul/front-haul networks, and design of silicon photonics devices for radio applications. I’m authored of several publications and patents.

What is your title and/or role in the project?

I’m involved on secondary demonstrator with the aim to implement a THz-over-plastic technology solution for short distance interconnects in 5G radio base stations.

What are your contributions to the project? (Specify what deliverables and/or tasks you are responsible for)

I will mainly contribute to deliverables D6.1 and D6.2 related to demo setup and test results descriptions of the secondary demonstrator.

What challenges can you foresee in the project?

One project challenge is to demonstrate a novel low cost and high bandwidth technology based on transmission of microwave signals over plastic fiber. The integration of the MMICs into a micromachined chip to interface with the plastic fiber at 300 GHz with a data rate of 100 Gbps has been never demonstrated before and it will open new horizons to the implementation of telecommunication systems for short distance interconnects.

How do you think the project outcome could affect our daily life?

The novel and advanced technologies considered in this project will be a key factor for next generation radio access networks where high data rate, low latency, low cost and low power consumption are needed for 5G networks and beyond.