TITAN is set to make its mark at the 51st European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) on 28 September – 2 October 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a diverse set…
TITAN is set to make its mark at the 51st European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) on 28 September – 2 October 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a diverse set of groundbreaking demonstrations.
From lasers that “twist” light to send massive amounts of data to broadband networks that double as sensors, TITAN’s researchers will show the world how the next era of communication will be faster, smarter, and more resilient than ever before.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Tampere University will showcase a compact optical wireless system achieving 75 Gbps over a one-metre link by using energy-efficient VCSEL lasers and simple optical components to “twist” light beams through orbital angular momentum multiplexing. This proof-of-concept will demonstrate that ultra-fast, low-cost, and eye-safe data transmission can be real without bulky or expensive equipment, paving the way for integration into AI-driven devices, secure indoor networks, and smart infrastructure.
In parallel, researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Satellite Applications Catapult will also present the first full-stack 5G radio network using optical wireless links for both fronthaul and backhaul. Delivering a stable 1 Gbps backhaul with error-free video streaming and a 3 Gbps fronthaul, the system proved resilient to misalignment while consuming a fraction of the power required by microwave alternatives, highlighting the role of optical wireless as a fibre-like but wireless alternative for accelerating 5G and 6G deployment.
A collaboration between the University of Cambridge and KTH Sweden will introduce a machine learning-enhanced positioning system capable of achieving centimetre-level accuracy, with errors below 5 cm even in noisy conditions. By filtering out corrupted signals and fusing only the reliable ones, this system overcomes the interference issues that plague Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, making it a strong candidate for healthcare, smart factories, and indoor navigation.
Meanwhile, Bangor University and partners will demonstrate how high-speed passive optical networks (PONs) can also serve as sensing platforms. Their system showed 100 Gb/s per wavelength transmission with a loss budget exceeding 35 dB, while simultaneously enabling vibration sensing, thanks to a simplified coherent receiver with Alamouti coding. This integration of communication and sensing functions opens new opportunities for monitoring infrastructure and delivering smart-city services through existing network assets.
The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton is set to further strengthen TITAN’s presence at ECOC 2025. TITAN Co-Investigator Periklis Petropoulos will participate as a panellist at the workshop titled “Is Hollow-Core Fibre Ready for 6G? – Technologies and Standards”, examining how hollow-core fibre (HCF) could overcome the limitations of conventional silica fibre for the ultrahigh speeds and massive data volumes of future mobile networks. HCF promises reduced latency, dispersion, and attenuation, making it a strong candidate for 6G fronthaul, advanced end-user services, and analogue radio-over-fibre applications, while raising important questions about cost, reliability, and standardisation.
In the main technical programme, ORC-led teams will present multiple breakthroughs:
Together, these contributions highlight the breadth and depth of TITAN’s research at ECOC 2025. From short-reach indoor optical wireless systems to long-haul transmission records, from precision positioning and sensing to advances in hollow-core fibre and photonic integration, TITAN’s researchers are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in communications. These advances represent not only major technical achievements but also align closely with policy priorities around resilient infrastructure, universal connectivity, and sustainable digital transformation.
TITAN is part of the Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) alongside CHEDDAR, HASC, and JOINER. Together, we conduct world-leading R&D and create a new knowledge-sharing framework, roadmap technology, develop skills, and engage with standards while instilling a commercialisation-focused mindset across academia.
If you have any questions about the research discussed in this article, please contact titan-enquiries@eng.cam.ac.uk.
