The DSP Centre showcased impactful demonstrations of its communications technologies at the Federated Telecoms Hub (FTH) Advanced Connectivity Showcase, held on Monday, December 1, 2025, at The Science Museum in London.
The event, hosted by the FTH, served as a high-impact expo for industry leaders, investors, and leading academics. As a major contributor to the FTH, specifically supporting three of the four hubs, named TITAN, HASC, and JOINER, the DSP Centre's exhibit demonstrated how it is at the forefront of translating fundamental research into market-ready solutions for next-generation communication networks.
The DSP Centre team presented two highly relevant technical demonstrations aimed at addressing key challenges in fibre network deployment and monitoring:
Fibre Optic Sensing using Data-Carrying Signals (Funded by TITAN PoC)
A major focus of the exhibit was a novel demonstration of fibre optic sensing using data-carrying signals. This technology works on standard telecom fibres without disrupting traffic, enabling real-time monitoring of network health, early fault detection, and fibre event identification, thus drastically improving the resilience, reliability and security of fibre networks.
The demonstration was presented by Jasmine Parkes, an industrial PhD candidate whose research is supported through the partnership between the DSP Centre and Comtek Network Systems (UK) Ltd. This research received crucial backing from the TITAN proof-of-concept (PoC) fund, which aims to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology.
Importantly, Comtek has expressed a strong interest in integrating this sensing technology with its existing equipment, indicating a clear and immediate commercial path for this dual-purpose capability. This innovation is crucial for maximising the value and resilience of existing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and trunk infrastructure.
Long-Reach PON Extension Demo Enabling 60km Networks
The second demonstration tackled the challenge of extending Passive Optical Network (PON) coverage over vast distances. The DSP Centre showcased a PON extension demo proving connectivity capabilities of a distance up to 60km.
This achievement is vital for expanding high-speed fibre connectivity to remote and rural communities as traditional PON systems are limited to distances of around 25km. By significantly increasing the reach of standard PON architectures, the DSP Centre is paving the way for network operators to deploy fibre networks more efficiently and cost-effectively across geographically challenging regions, helping to bridge the UK鈥檚 digital divide.
The DSP Centre鈥檚 extensive contribution to the FTH (TITAN, HASC, and JOINER) and its strategic partnerships demonstrate its commitment to accelerating the commercialisation of advanced connectivity technologies and its active role in shaping the next generation of global telecommunication networks.
