Communications with guaranteed bandwidth and low latency using frequency-referenced multiplexing

Emerging cloud applications such as virtual reality and connected car fleets demand guaranteed connections, as well as low and stable latency, to edge data centres. Currently, user-cloud communications rely on time-scheduled data frames through tree-topology fibre networks, which are incapable of providing guaranteed connections with low or stable latency and cannot be scaled to a larger number of users. Here we show that a frequency-referenced multiplexing method can provide guaranteed bandwidth and low latency for time-critical applications. We use clock and optical frequency synchronization, enabled by frequency comb and signal processing techniques, to provide each user with dedicated optical bandwidth, creating scalable user-cloud upstream communications. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate a frequency-division multiplexing system servicing up to 64 users with an aggregate bandwidth of 160 GHz, exhibiting a data rate of up to 4.3 Gbps per user (240.0 Gbps aggregated capacity considering a 200 GHz wavelength band) with a high receiver sensitivity of -35 dBm. A clock and optical frequency synchronization technique, enabled by frequency comb and signal processing techniques, can provide users with guaranteed bandwidth and low latency for time-critical applications.