100+ Gbps/ 50km C-band Downstream PON using CD Digital Pre-Compensation and Direct-Detection ONU Receiver

We experimentally demonstrate a single-wavelength 100 Gbps downstream PON transmission aided by chromatic dispersion digital pre-compensation (CD-DPC) using simple digital signal processing (DSP) finite impulse response (FIR) filters in combination with an IQ Mach–Zehnder modulator (IQ-MZM) at the transmitter side and direct-detection receiver at the optical network unit (ONU). A reach of 50 km over standard single-mode fiber in C-band and an optical distribution network (ODN) loss of 28.5 dB are achieved. Transmission of 50 and 125 Gbps over 50 km of fiber is also tested, achieving 32 dB and 24 dB of ODN loss, respectively. The complexity of the filters, the optimization of the main design parameters, and the tolerance of the CD-DPC to the uncertainty of the exact accumulated link dispersion are analyzed in detail.