WORKSHOPS: Two workshops will be held in the afternoon, October 7, 2019. Workshop I: Integrated microwave photonics Organizers: - Jose Capmany, iTEAM, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain Confirmed Speakers 1. Kasper van Gasse and Gunther Roelkens, Ghent University, Hybrid integrated for microwave photonics 2. Daniel Onori and Jose Azana, INRS, Digital feed-forward lasers' noise-cancelling architectures for broadly tunable RF scanning receivers and radars on chip 3. Guillermo Carpintero, University Carlos III of Madrid, Integrated mode-locked laser sources for microwave photonics applications 4. Chris Roeloffzen, LioniX, Silicon nitride integrated microwave photonics Workshop II: Photonics for 5G and Beyond: Analogue or Digital Fronthaul? Organizers: - Michael Eiselt (ADVA Optical Networking, Germany) - Patryk Urban (Westpomeranian University of Technology, Poland) Abstract: High data rates at the mobile interface of the 5G network require an increased capacity of the fronthaul link between the baseband unit (BBU) and the remote radio unit (RRU). For LTE, the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) provides a standard to transport the baseband radio signal in a digital format over an optical link between the BBU and the RRU with a data rate of up to 24 Gbit/s, enabling the complete signal processing in the centralized BBU. The higher data rates of 5G, however, would lead to prohibitively high fronthaul data rates of more than 100 Gbit/ for each RRU. One solution to reduce this data rate is locating more signal processing functions at the RRU, with the drawback of reduced network flexibility and reduced interoperation between RRUs. An alternative solution would be the transport of the radio baseband signal in an analog format over the optical fronthaul link, reducing the required bandwidth to the order of the radio signal bandwidth, but at the same time increasing the optical system requirements on impairment tolerances and component linearities. Also, a purely analog channel might require an additional, digital optical channel for synchronization and control of the RRU. Confirmed Speakers 1. Simon Rommel (TU Eindhoven): TITLE: Analog Radio over Fiber for Fronthaul and High Capacity Wireless in 5G and Beyond ABSTRACT: The continued growth of radio bandwidth especially at millimeter waves places a growing strain on the fronthaul segment of mobile networks in centralized radio access networks, or requires a partial return to a distributed radio access network. Analog radio over fiber, where the target radio waveform is directly transported over the optical fiber, not only alleviates such problems by avoiding transport of digitized radio signals, but through the use of optical heterodyning further allows simplified generation of high-bandwidth millimeter wave and THz signals. This talk will discuss analog radio over fiber and its ideal synergy with analog signal processing in microwave photonics for applications in 5G, 6G and beyond. 2. Jerome Bourderionnet (Thales) TITLE: The BlueSpace project ARoF front-end: concept and estimated performances ABSTRACT: We will discuss the analog RoF architectures envisioned in the EU BlueSpace project, and in particular how an integrated photonic front-end enables key functionalities such as versatile frequency up-conversion together with opto/RF beamforming. 3. Philippos Assimakopoulos (University of Kent) TITLE: Digital signal processing (DSP)-assisted analog transport for the 5G (and beyond) fronthaul ABSTRACT: Analog transport for the next-generation fronthaul is now of interest, as it is highly spectrally efficient. Digital signal processing techniques for analog fronthauling can circumvent re-configurability concerns, and lead to flexibility and scalability, aspects that are of fundamental importance for 5G (and beyond) radio access networks. 4. Anthony Ng'Oma (Corning) TITLE: Fiber-Wireless Systems for MIMO Applications ABSTRACT: MIMO technology, with many of its variants has emerged as a key technology enabler for high-capacity wireless systems - including 5G. In this talk we discuss fiber-based (including few-mode and signal mode fiber) analog and digital system implementations for realizing cost-effective MIMO and Massive MIMO transmission systems and networks. 5. Roberto Llorente (UPV) TITLE: The Mixed-Signal Optical Fronthaul: Beyond-5G Functionalities enabled by SDM in Multicore Fiber ABSTRACT: Optical fronthaul technology is evolving from baseband digital transmission of digitized-RoF signals to a mixed scenario where advanced functionalities are enabled by photonic processing. This talk addresses the latest approaches to a mixed-signal optical fronthaul capable of full spatial control of Beyond-5G radio signals seamless operating at high frequency bands. 6. David Plant (McGill University) TITLE: Silicon Photonics Enabled Radio-Over Fiber and 5G X-Haul Systems ABSTRACT: Silicon photonic component enabled subsystems for Radio-over-Fiber applications will be discussed. System configurations utilizing digital signal processing techniques for front haul will be reviewed.