2020 showed the need for reliable internet services all around the world, especially with the rapid move of many aspects of people’s lives online, including work, education and healthcare. Several predictions are being made about what 2021 has in store for optical networking.

A very important issue is ensuring, that reliable broadband services are available to as many people as possible, including rural and underserved areas. For that reason, increased support for public funding of broadband networks is expected. Working online showed the importance of remote collaboration, videoconferencing and easy file sharing. Because of the need, new, innovative cloud-based solutions for remote work are expected to appear. Also 5G and FTTx - various methods of connecting fiber optic cables and equipment to residential homes and apartment buildings will be further developed. Since the network resources are utilized more than ever, an accelerated adaptation of high-speed connectivity solutions and increased deployment of pluggables is also forecasted. With the development of networking equipment, a concept of open optical networking is expected to also be gaining more attention. The idea is to seamlessly integrate the best-in-class elements from various suppliers into a unified network.

Further reading:

https://www.thefastmode.com/expert-opinion/18852-what-does-2021-have-in-store-for-optical-networking

https://thecinict.com/2021/02/17/is-2021-the-year-for-open-optical-networking/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/global-fttx-optical-access-infrastructure-121800453.html