Adtran revealed it is taking part in the Software Enabled Fiber Optic Multisensing Network (SoFiN) project. The EU-funded collaboration among eight organizations seeks over a four-year period to develop a flexible platform for fiber-based sensing in critical infrastructure.
Project members expect to leverage cloud connectivity and AI to improve monitoring of fiber-optic and power distribution networks as well as to reduce water supply systems leakage. The result is planned to be low-cost, energy-efficient multi-sensing systems that can be applied in telecommunications, power grids, and water supply networks, among other applications. The platform will measure such elements as strain, temperature, vibration, and acoustics through interrogator and sensor technology, cloud connectivity, and AI-based signal interpretation.
Adtran says it is leading the development of the interrogator platform, based on the ALM fiber monitoring platform the company gained as part of the ADVA merger (ADVA was part of the SoFIN project at the time of the transaction). The interrogator will be tested in a fiber network with Adtran customer and SoFiN partner Tele2 Estonia, as well as a water supply network in Nicosia, Cyprus.
“We’re excited to contribute our know-how and experience to the SoFiN project. Together with our partners, we’ll develop and demonstrate an integrated and energy-efficient interrogator hardware setup that can easily be adapted to different sensing needs,” said Sander Jansen, general manager of infrastructure monitoring at Adtran. “Our expertise in fiber assurance technology will play a crucial role in engineering low-cost, energy-efficient, and versatile multi-sensing systems. This will deliver major benefits across a wide range of sectors from telecommunications to power grids.”
“We expect the results of this project will be a major boost to our customers,” said Asse Hang, head of international sales at Tele2 Estonia. “Through SoFiN, we’re unlocking extra value in existing fiber networks, enabling operators of critical infrastructure to achieve new levels of visibility and control. What’s more, the low cost and energy efficiency of the system will put tomorrow’s sensing technology within a highly affordable price range.”
In addition to Adtran and Tele2 Estonia, SoFIN participants include CyRIC, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), NKT Photonics, Nicosia Water Supply Board, and ENERGINET.
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