Recent advancements towards the re-establishment of optical telecommunications sites in response to catastrophic tsunami events

Abstract:

Communications support for disaster relief and reconstruction teams in the field as well as for providing information to the public through radio and television media during the immediate aftermath of catastrophic tsunami events has been a significant concern after the 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami. In particular, the restoration of optical fiber based telecommunications sites is crucial to re-establish the backbone of communications networks in affected areas. This work reviews a set of novel technologies and approaches that have been developed to enable fast re-establishment of optical telecommunications sites. Specifically, the development of portable battery-powered optical amplifiers, which can replace permanent infrastructure during short periods; novel ultra-sound based optical cable interconnection check-up sub-systems, to support the complex recabling of partially destroyed optical interconnect nodes; and optical networking protocols that allow establishing communications coverage over affected areas by implementing collaboration between different vendors.