© GÉANT Associa ion on behal o he GN5
-2 p ojec . The esea ch leading o hese esul s has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s Ho izon
Eu ope esea ch and inno a ion p og amme unde G an Ag eemen No. 101194278 (GN5
-2).
Co
- unded by he Eu opean Union. Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he
Eu opean Union. The Eu opean Union canno be held esponsible o hem.
11-11-2025
Fib e Sensing: Technologies, Use s and Use Cases
o NRENs
G an Ag eemen No.:
101194278
Wo k Package:
WP6
Task I em:
T1
Na u e o Documen :
Whi e Pape
Dissemina ion Le el:
PU
Lead Pa ne :
GÉANT
Documen ID:
GN5-2-25-112DBD
Au ho s:
Glo ia Vuagnin (GARR), Ramaz K a adze (GRENA) Ch is A he on (GÉANT), Jan
Randil (CESNET), Magnus Be g o h (SUNET),
Susanne Naegele-Jackson (FAU),
I ana Golub (PCSS), Pa le Vule ic (AMRES), Pio Tu owicz (PCSS), Leonidas
Kons an opoulos (GRNET) and Rasmus Lund (NORDUne )
Abs ac
This documen p o ides a b ie o e iew o ib e-sensing echnologies and he possibili ies o e ed by hese
echniques in bo h he s uc u al moni o ing o Na ional Resea ch and Educa ion Ne wo k (NREN) in as uc u e
and in Ea h obse a ion and moni o ing. S udying hese new echnologies by iden i ying po en ial NREN use
cases, along wi h wide applica ions in he na ional and GÉANT pan-Eu opean in as uc u es, o e s a use ul
sou ce o da a o NRENs, and o he mul iple and he e ogeneous esea ch communi ies connec ed by NRENs
whose esea ch s ands o bene i . This documen is aimed a NRENs bu is comp ehensible enough ha o he
audiences, such as esea ch communi ies and indus ies, will ind i use ul.
Fib e Sensing: Technologies, Use s and Use Cases o NRENs
Documen ID: GN5-2-25-112DBD
ii
Con en s
Execu i e Summa y 1
1 In oduc ion 2
2 O e iew o Fib e-Sensing Technologies 3
2.1 Sca e ing-Based Sensing 3
2.2 Fo wa d T ansmission-Based Sensing 4
2.3 Addi ional Requi emen s 5
2.4 Conside a ions o Deploying DFOS Technologies 5
3 Use s Communi ies and Possible Use Cases 7
3.1 NREN Use Case: Enhancing In as uc u e Heal h and Secu i y 10
3.2 NREN Suppo o Resea ch Communi ies 11
3.3 O e iew o Fib e-Sensing Use Cases 12
4 Conclusions 15
Glossa y 16
Re e ences 17
Figu es
Figu e 3.1: O e iew o he DAS and SOP equency anges in he loga i hmic scale. SOP de ec able
equency ange is shown in pu ple; DAS de ec able equency ange in yellow; ed ep esen s he
o e lap be ween he wo echnologies 14
Tables
Table 2.1: Compa ison o he di e en ib e-sensing echniques wi h espec o he ype o
echnique used, ange, deploymen conside a ions and indica i e uni cos 6
Table 3.1: Regula o y d i e s and bene i s o dis ibu ed ib e-op ic sensing o NRENs 8
Table 3.2: Main a eas o ib e-sensing deploymen oge he wi h po en ial use g oups 9
Table 3.3: Map be ween he a ea o in e es , equency ange o e en s and a compa ison i he
desc ibed echnology can de ec all signals (Y), pa o he equency ange (P), o none o he
equency ange (N) 13
Fib e Sensing: Technologies, Use s and Use Cases o NRENs
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Execu i e Summa y
This whi e pape examines ib e sensing, a ans o ma i e eme ging echnology in op ical ne wo king.
T adi ionally, op ical ne wo ks ha e been used o anspo huge amoun s o da a. Howe e , op ical ne wo ks
(mo e p ecisely, op ical ib es) can be used o sensing pu poses as well: p oac i ely moni o ing he en i onmen
a ound op ical cables no only o p o ec he ne wo k i sel , bu also o o e insigh s in o he en i onmen and
p o ide ale s o all manne o e en s anging om unau ho ised in usions o disas e s such as i es in unnels
and sunamis.
This dual unc ionali y is pa icula ly ele an o GÉANT and he NRENs, which ha e decades o expe ience in
managing ex ensi e e es ial and subma ine ib e in as uc u e. This documen examines how ib e sensing
o e s NRENs he oppo uni y o enhance he moni o ing and p o ec ion o hei ne wo ks while simul aneously
gene a ing aluable da a o scien i ic esea ch and ci il p o ec ion.
The ope a ional bene i s om in eg a ing ib e-sensing echnologies in o NREN in as uc u e include imp o ed
aul de ec ion and localisa ion, enhanced ne wo k esilience, and compliance wi h egula o y amewo ks such
as he EU’s NIS2 Di ec i e and 5G Secu i y Toolbox. Fib e sensing also suppo s p oac i e cable sys em
main enance and secu i y measu es such as in usion de ec ion.
Beyond ne wo k ope a ions, ib e sensing has a b oad a ay o applica ions ac oss indus y. I suppo s esea ch
in ields such as geophysics, oceanog aphy, clima ology, and biology. Ci il enginee ing applica ions include
s uc u al moni o ing and a ic analysis, while he u ili y sec o bene i s om leak de ec ion and in as uc u e
su eillance, making ib e sensing a aluable asse ac oss he public, academic and indus ial sec o s.
This wide ange o applica ions posi ions NRENs as po en ial key enable s, suppo ing bo h ad anced ne wo k
ope a ions and he ad ancemen o hei cons i uen s in esea ch and educa ion. A e e iewing hese ib e-
sensing use communi ies wi h ocus on he NREN pe spec i e, his documen p esen s a mapping o speci ic
applica ion domains o hei associa ed equency anges and hen ou lines he app op ia e ib e-sensing
echnology o use in each case. These echnologies co e di e en bu complemen a y equency anges,
enabling ailo ed da a collec ion anging om high- equency mechanical ib a ions and audio su eillance o
low- equency oceanog aphic moni o ing and long- e m s uc u al changes, depending on he e en s ha a
gi en use communi y seeks o obse e.
The pape concludes ha owing o he con e gence o communica ion and sensing echnologies, ib e sensing
is posi ioned as a c i ical componen o u u e ne wo k and esea ch in as uc u e and hus is o c i ical
impo ance o NRENs.
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1 In oduc ion
Fib e sensing has eme ged as a ‘ho ’ opic o e he las ew yea s [1][2]. NRENs and GÉANT, bo h o which own
and manage bo h e es ial and subma ine op ical ib e pai s and spec um, a e inc easingly s udying sensing
echnologies due o he oppo uni ies hey p o ide: p o ec ion and p oac i e moni o ing o he physical ne wo k
in as uc u e, as well as signi ican gains o NREN use s engaged in scien i ic esea ch, ci il p o ec ion h ough
en i onmen al moni o ing capabili ies, and in some cases, na ional secu i y.
Fib e-sensing echnologies can u n op ical ib es in o sou ces o da a, measu ing he a ia ion o a signal in
speci ic op ical ansmission pa ame e s (ampli ude, phase, pola isa ion, and equency) as i passes h ough an
op ical ib e. I is now possible o de ec minimal de o ma ions expe ienced by a ib e when he su ounding
en i onmen unde goes changes. These en i onmen al changes may be caused by na u al e en s such as
ea hquakes, landslides, sunamis o by human ac i i ies such as oadwo k, cons uc ion, o in usion in o he
a ea whe e he ib e is housed. Howe e , his opic has been made inc easingly ele an in ecen yea s by he
e olu ion o sensing echnology owa d solu ions ha allow i s coexis ence wi h da a ansmission on he same
op ical ib es [3]. This de elopmen pe mi s he use o Dis ibu ed Fib e-Op ic Sensing (DFOS) on in as uc u e
esou ces ha in he pas we e solely dedica ed o ansmission.
I has become clea ha he e a e mul iple uses, by mul iple communi ies, o he as amoun s o da a ha a e
gene a ed by ib e-sensing ins umen s. Wi h he wide adop ion o a i icial in elligence, he au oma ed
selec ion o da ase s om mul iple da a sou ces can now be ailo ed o se e speci ic esea ch and use
communi ies and gene a e new pe spec i es om he amalgama ion o di e en da ase s, leading o new
scien i ic disco e ies. NRENs, as se ice p o ide s in an inc easingly da a-p oduc -d i en en i onmen , hus ha e
he oppo uni y o manage and make his da a a ailable o hei use communi ies, as well as bene i ing
hemsel es ia enhanced moni o ing and esponding o h ea s o physical in as uc u e.
The emainde o his documen is s uc u ed as ollows: Sec ion 2 o e s a b ie o e iew o some o hese
dis ibu ed ib e-sensing echnologies. Sec ion 3 discusses he ange o possibili ies hese echnologies o e o
he di e en use communi ies and maps he a eas o in e es , equency anges o e en s o sense, and he
app op ia e sensing echnology o use in each case. The documen ends wi h a conclusion in Sec ion 4.
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2 O e iew o Fib e-Sensing Technologies
The e a e cu en ly wo main me hods o sensing using cables: poin -based sensing and dis ibu ed ib e-op ic
sensing (DFOS) [4].
The concep behind poin -based sensing is he addi ion and in eg a ion o physical equipmen along he cable
ha houses op ical ib es, p ima ily ei he Science Moni o ing and Reliable Telecommunica ions (SMART)
senso s [4][5] o a ib e B agg g a ing [1]. SMART senso s use he powe and elecommunica ion connec i i y
p o ided by he cable sys em i sel and ea u e on subma ine cable sys ems as opposed o e es ial sys ems.
Howe e , he e a e cu en ly no known deployed o ac i e cable sys ems ha u ilise SMART echnology
(al hough he e a e plans o deploy some in he nea u u e). The ull ealisa ion o his concep depends on
cable manu ac u e s changing hei cable designs o in oduce as-o -ye unp o en echnology in o he sys em.
I also means ha only newly laid cables can bene i om he echnology. In compa ison, ib e B agg g a ings
a e passi e de ices ypically used in op ical line sys ems o p o ide wa eleng h-selec i e il e ing, e lec ing
speci ic wa eleng hs back o a sou ce. When used in combina ion wi h a lase sou ce, quasi-dis ibu ed sensing
can be achie ed [6].
The poin -based sensing echnology discussed abo e ocuses on gene a ing da a om a ound speci ic loca ions
along a cable pa h, a he han p o iding in o ma ion on he s a us o he cable sys em i sel . DFOS, on he o he
hand, u ilises he ac ual op ical ib e wi hin a cable sys em as he sensing medium i sel . This means ha exis ing
cable sys ems (including decommissioned sys ems, wi h some speci ic echniques) can be e o i ed wi h his
echnology. DFOS can be deployed on bo h subma ine and e es ial cable sys ems. As he op ical ib e is used
as he medium, he da a ob ained can be used o unde s and he s a us o he op ical ib e while elecoms a ic
is passing h ough i . DFOS can also be used o complemen poin -based senso s, allowing mul iple da a sou ces
o ope a e along a single cable sys em simul aneously.
Wi hin he ield o dis ibu ed sensing, he e a e cu en ly wo main echnical ca ego ies: sca e ing-based
sensing and o wa d- ansmission-based sensing. The emainde o his documen p o ides a b ie desc ip ion
o he echnical app oaches o he dis ibu ed-sensing echnologies wi h signi ican po en ial o success ul
applica ion in NRENs’ ne wo k in as uc u es o cable p o ec ion and scien i ic obse a ions.
2.1 Sca e ing-Based Sensing
Sca e ing-based echnologies in ol e he injec ion o a lase sou ce in o a ib e op ic cable, wi h he e u ned
e lec ions (backsca e ) being eco ded and analysed. Backsca e ing (i.e., he e lec ion o signals back o he
di ec ion om which hey came) occu s as a esul o iny changes in he densi y o he glass co e o he op ical
ib es a ising om small impe ec ions c ea ed du ing i s manu ac u e. En i onmen al changes in he medium
su ounding he ib e, as well as changes o he physical medium o he ib e i sel (e.g., s e ching, s aining,
p essu e o empe a u e) can cause changes o (i.e., shi s in he phase o ) ha backsca e ed ligh . Each
e lec ion poin becomes a sensing poin , meaning ha along he leng h o a ib e, many poin s can be moni o ed
a a ying dis ances [7]. Taking in o accoun ha he speed o ligh in op ical ib e is known, and he ime i akes
o ligh o a el along and back h ough an op ical ib e can be measu ed, his echnique allows he de ec ion
o he loca ion o hose en i onmen al changes along he cable o a p ecision o a ound 1 me e [2].
Backsca e ing occu s mainly in h ee o ms – Rayleigh [8], Raman [9], and B illouin sca e ing [10]. Cu en ly,
he i s wo, Raman and Rayleigh sca e ing, a e used o de ec changes in cables. Fo each o hese, a pa icula
echnical echnique is used o ex ac in o ma ion. Dis ibu ed Acous ic Sensing (DAS), also called Dis ibu ed
O e iew o Fib e-Sensing Technologies
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Dynamic S ain Sensing (DDSS), e e s o he Rayleigh-based sca e ing e ec . Despi e he wo d “acous ic” in
“DAS” pe haps sugges ing he use o sound p essu e wa es, DAS does no de ec p essu e di ec ly; i de ec s
s ain in he ib e. Raman-based echniques, based on Dis ibu ed Tempe a u e Sensing (DTS) [4], a e also
g owing in popula i y. In he ollowing sec ions, only Rayleigh sca e ing is conside ed as i is he mos widely
used. Howe e , he key challenge o any sca e ing echnique is he iden i ica ion and classi ica ion o signals
ha couple in o he in as uc u e (e.g. op ical cables) as s ain and how. This is cu en ly unde ac i e
in es iga ion by a ious esea ch communi ies.
Due o a enua ion o he op ical signal along he ib e, he maximum sensing ange o DAS is ypically limi ed
o a ound 50 km, o up o he loca ion o he i s epea e uni in Dense Wa eleng h Di ision Mul iplexing
(DWDM) [ 11 ] op ical- ib e cable sys ems, bo h subma ine and e es ial. While some ad anced DAS
in e oga ion echniques can ex end he sampling ange beyond his, in some cases o as a as 150–170 km,
p ac ical sensing o en e mina es a he i s epea e . This is because epea e s, o p o ec he op ical
ansmission componen s, commonly con ain op ical il e s and ampli ie s ha inhibi he backsca e ed ligh
necessa y o DAS ope a ion.
Injec ing a DAS signal in o a li e elecommunica ions sys em p esen s challenges, pa icula ly o ansmission
equipmen . Howe e , esea ch [12] has demons a ed simul aneous elecommunica ion and DAS ope a ion a
di e en wa eleng hs wi hin he same ib e, known as op ical mul iplexing, as an e ec i e solu ion. In May 2024,
a ou -day DAS da ase was collec ed using an L-band in e oga o mul iplexed on o he subma ine cables o he
Ocean Obse a o ies Ini ia i e’s Regional Cabled A ay, o sho e cen al O egon [13]. The esul s showed ha
mul iplexed DAS is nei he deg aded by ne wo k a ic no impac s communica ions. Fu he mo e, he quali y
o DAS da a ob ained ia mul iplexing was compa able o ha collec ed on da k ib e. Using a machine-lea ning
e en de ec ion wo k low, esea che s iden i ied 31 T-wa es and he S-wa e o one egional ea hquake,
he eby demons a ing he easibili y o con inuous ea hquake moni o ing wi h o sho e mul iplexed DAS.
2.2 Fo wa d T ansmission-Based Sensing
Cohe en ligh is used in elecommunica ions because main aining ixed phase ela ionships be ween ligh wa es
allows ad anced modula ion o ma s ha g ea ly inc ease spec al e iciency, while he abili y o sepa a e
o hogonal pola isa ions e ec i ely doubles he capaci y o each ib e. As such, cohe en de ec ion enables
digi al signal p ocessing o co ec o noise such as ch oma ic dispe sion, pola isa ion mode dispe sion and
o he non-linea e ec s. These non-linea e ec s a e in pa caused by a ange o ac o s along he whole leng h
o he ib e. Howe e , wha may be noise o some is signal o o he s. I is inc easingly ecognised ha cohe en
de ec ion and digi al signal p ocessing (DSP) echniques now allow elecom ib es o se e as p og ammable
senso s [14].
Wi h espec o pola isa ion, di e en pola ised op ical wa es p opaga e wi h di e en p opaga ion cons an s.
In op ical ib e, his is due o in insic ib e bi e ingence [15]. Bo h in e nal and ex e nal ac o s can in luence
ib e bi e ingence. The in e nal ib e bi e ingence a ises om impe ec ions in ib e manu ac u ing, such as
co e ellip ici y, bending, wis ing, o e en ma e ial impu i ies and inhomogenei ies. The ex e nal ac o s a e
changes in en i onmen al condi ions ( ain, wind gus , snow, hea , ligh ning, o empe a u e a ia ions),
mechanical s ess and p essu e. By moni o ing he s a e o pola isa ion (SOP), we can moni o he changes in
ib e bi e ingence o e ime.
Pola isa ion changes a e moni o ed by eco ding ce ain pa ame e s, known as S okes pa ame e s. S okes
pa ame e s a e a se o alues ha desc ibe he pola isa ion s a e o elec omagne ic adia ion [16].
The e a e wo echniques possible o SOP sensing:
• Moni o ing o he SOP o he anspo ed da a signal a he DWDM anscei e s.
• Dedica ed SOP pola ime e o e a DWDM moni o ing channel.
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Alongside hese adi ional SOP echniques, SOP Op ical Time Domain Re lec ome y (SOP-OTDR) is ano he
echnique, i s published in Ma ch 2022 and pilo ed by In ine a and Google [1]. SOP-OTDR in subsea op ical
communica ion sys ems combines poin -based sensing wi h o wa d ansmission-based DFOS sensing and
allows moni o ing o subsea cable heal h while simul aneously moni o ing physical phenomena a ound he
cable a ce ain poin s along he cable. This echnique uses he pe iodic ansmission o ones gene a ed by a
pola ime e , a he han om he elecoms a ic i sel , along a cable and u ilises buil -in high-loss loopbacks
(HLLBs) o ob ain e lec ions o hese ones a e e y epea e . As wi h he adi ional SOP echniques, hese
e lec ed signals a e il e ed o elimina e ou -o -band noise, hen con e ed o hei co esponding S okes
pa ame e s o u he analysis. The same echnique can be applied o e es ial cables [3]. I should be no ed
ha SOP and o he o wa d- ansmission-based sensing echniques a e a a much lowe echnology eadiness
le el (TRL) han sca e ing-based sensing echniques.
2.3 Addi ional Requi emen s
Alongside he sensing echnologies, a consis en ly p ecise ime sou ce needs o be p o ided. This could be, o
example, ia sa elli e na iga ion sys ems, a ne wo k ime p o ocol (NTP), a p ecision ime p o ocol (PTP), o
Whi e Rabbi , a echnology based on a combina ion o PTP and Synch onous E he ne (SyncE) [17]. The ime
sou ce allows he sensing da a gene a ed o be accu a ely compa ed wi h da a p oduced om o he loca ions
and using o he echnologies.
The quan i y o sensing da a gene a ed can be subs an ial depending on he con igu a ions used. DAS is he
mos p oli ic, po en ially gene a ing ~7TB o da a pe day. Typically, sensing ins umen s come wi h a Ne wo k
A ached S o age (NAS), so disks can be shipped di ec ly o esea ch acili ies o a cen alised s o age loca ion.
Howe e , o s eaming o da a, su icien connec i i y is equi ed. Fo low- h oughpu , hea ily downsampled
da a and ou -o -band access, 5G dongles a e used, while E he ne connec i i y ia a ixed ne wo k p o ides
access o ull aw da a iles.
Once he da a is ex ac ed om he ins umen (s), i hen needs o be p ocessed and s o ed. In ce ain ins ances,
aw da a (i.e., unp ocessed) is kep in a secu e loca ion o e ie al by au ho ised pa ies as equi ed o la e
p ocessing in o de i ed da a p oduc s o hei domain-speci ic needs. To accoun o he needs o domain-
speci ic knowledge p oduc ion om sensing da a, he c ea ion o speci ic ecosys ems by he ele an na ional
esea ch ins i u es and hei communi ies is sugges ed [18].
To e ec i ely u ilise he la ge amoun o gene a ed da a (especially in he DAS con ex ), ca e ul design o da a
managemen sys ems, including compu a ional and s o age esou ces, is essen ial. Machine lea ning is playing
an impo an ole bo h in imp o ing op ical- ib e senso pe o mance by in oducing inno a i e p oblem-sol ing
app oaches, and in nea - eal- ime analyses [19]. As such, ib e sensing, al hough acili a ed and suppo ed by
he ne wo k, equi es a ull-s ack app oach o suppo i s ope a ions.
2.4 Conside a ions o Deploying DFOS Technologies
Each ib e-sensing echnology si s a a di e en le el o ma u i y and has i s own limi a ions and ade-o s. As
a esul , ollou o a gi en echnology and i s po en ial use cases depend on a ange o echnical and con ex ual
ac o s. Table 2.1 below summa ises he indica i e limi a ions, capabili ies, and cos s o he mos widely used
ins umen s. The igu es in he Equipmen cos s column e e only o he sensing uni s hemsel es and no he
b oade expense o deploying an in eg a ed sys em. Fo example, adap ing a ne wo k o hos a DAS uni in a
cable landing s a ion o ampli ie si e — acili ies ha may ha e p e iously se ed only as pass- h ough o inline
ampli ie si es wi hou laye 3 b eakou capaci y — in oduces addi ional, con ex -speci ic cos s ha a e di icul
o gene alise.
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Pa ame e
sensed
Maximum
eco ding
dis ance
Maximum
de ec ed
equency (Hz)
Cons ain s Cable equi emen s Injec ed powe
(dBm)
Da a p oduced
pe day
Equipmen
cos s
DAS (C Band) Rayleigh
backsca e
50-170KM 10,000 Hz Can’ pass i s
epea e 1
Da k ib e 0 o 24 dBm ~7 TB ~200 K€
DAS (L Band) Rayleigh
backsca e
50-170KM 10,000 Hz Can’ pass i s
epea e 1
Accessible L band 0 o 14 dBm ~7 TB ~200 K€
T anscei e
SOP
S okes a iables Cable leng h 20 Hz Low equency
esolu ion
DWDM sys em 0 dBm 3 GB ~50 K€
Pola ime e
SOP
S okes a iables Cable leng h 20 Hz Low equency
esolu ion
DWDM channels 0 dBm 6-250 GB ~50 K€
Table 2.1: Compa ison o he di e en ib e-sensing echniques wi h espec o he ype o echnique used, ange, deploymen conside a ions and indica i e uni cos
Despi e hese cons ain s, esea ch and de elopmen in ib e sensing is p og essing apidly. This accele a ion is d i en by he b ead h o po en ial applica ions and by he
di e se use communi ies eage o exploi he da a hese ins umen s can p o ide. A a ie y o use communi ies and hei po en ial ib e-sensing use cases a e explo ed in
he ollowing sec ion.
1 DAS ope a ion equi es backsca e ing o ligh in o de o wo k. The op ical epea e / egene a o il e s ou backsca e ing o p o ec ion, so he lase ligh isn’ e lec ed back pas he
epea e , hence DAS signals can’ pass he i s epea e .
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3 Use s Communi ies and Possible Use Cases
Acqui ing da a h ough ib e-sensing echniques on he Resea ch and Educa ion (R&E) op ical ib e
in as uc u e may be o in e es o an NREN in wo di e en aspec s: using he da a gene a ed o he ne wo k
o inc ease he heal h and secu i y o he in as uc u e i sel , and gene a ing da a wi h he ne wo k on behal
o he communi ies i suppo s [2][20]. While he aw da a and equency anges collec ed can be used by
mul iple communi ies, including NRENs, he de i ed da a p oduc s o a speci ic communi y ypically a y and
don’ o e lap. I is he pos -p ocessing o aw da a whe e a communi y can ex ac eal alue o hei pa icula
use case.
When conside ing using ib e sensing o he ne wo k, he use cases align wi h a elecom ope a o ’s co e
p io i ies: sa egua ding se ice in eg i y, p o ec ing asse s, and minimising use impac – he ocus o which
(al hough no he only one) is p edominan ly ope a ional and wi h he aim o inc easing he speed o eac ion
o inciden s, such as imp o ing aul localisa ion, and iden i ica ion o hi d-pa y in e e ence in he ne wo k.
Expe iencing delays du ing ou ages is cos ly and aises he o e all isk p o ile on a ne wo k h ough lack o
edundancy and esiliency. Thus, an imp o emen in he ime equi ed o aul localisa ion and es o a ion o
ib e cu s — and e en p e en ion o down ime — a e key d i e s in he adop ion o ib e-sensing echnologies
and, whe e app op ia e, u nishing he e iden ial ma e ial ga he ed o suppo law-en o cemen enqui ies.
While no limi ed o NRENs, he abili y o moni o , de ec , and espond o anomalies is no only sound
ope a ional p ac ice; i is inc easingly a egula o y equi emen . Unde he NIS2 Di ec i e, p o ide s o public
elec onic communica ions ne wo ks and se ices a e designa ed as essen ial en i ies, subjec o s onge
ha monised cybe secu i y obliga ions ac oss he EU [21]. Simila ly, in es men agencies a e now linking unding
o ib e-op ic in as uc u e o secu i y equi emen s, including con o mance wi h he EU 5G Secu i y Toolbox.
Measu e TM03 o he Toolbox explici ly calls o moni o ing, de ec ion, and imely esponse o anomalies [22].
Table 3.1 o e s an o e iew o some o he egula o y d i e s and bene i s o DFOS o NRENs.
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Figu e 3.1: O e iew o he DAS and SOP equency anges in he loga i hmic scale. SOP de ec able equency
ange is shown in pu ple; DAS de ec able equency ange in yellow; ed ep esen s he o e lap be ween he
wo echnologies
Wha eme ges clea ly om his mapping is ha no single echnique co e s all use cases. DAS o e s excellen
sensi i i y ac oss a wide spec um, making i ideal o seismic s udies, ce ology, in as uc u e moni o ing and
in usion de ec ion, while being limi ed in sensing ange along a cable. SOP sensing, while lowe in sensi i i y
and echnology eadiness le el, le e ages cohe en ansmission equipmen al eady embedded in many
ne wo ks, p o iding a low-cos and scalable solu ion o moni o ing ne wo k heal h and de ec ing lowe -
equency pe u ba ions such as oceanog aphic pa ame e s along he whole leng h o a ne wo k segmen .
Fo NRENs, he implica ion is wo old. Fi s , selec ing he app op ia e sensing echnology depends on he use
communi y being suppo ed: geophysicis s and oceanog aphe s o en a ou DAS, whe eas elecom ope a o s
may gain immedia e ope a ional bene i s om SOP. Second, he e a e clea oppo uni ies o combine
echniques o expand in o newe app oaches such as in e e ome ic sensing in o de o en ich he ange o
de ec able e en s [26].
Ul ima ely, hese mappings ein o ce he idea ha ib e sensing is no a niche capabili y, bu a mul i-disciplina y
enable . By unde s anding how e en equencies align wi h sensing echnologies, NRENs and hei pa ne s can
p io i ise deploymen s, acili a e da a sha ing wi h esea ch communi ies, and posi ion hei ne wo ks as
pla o ms o bo h esilien connec i i y and scien i ic disco e y.
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4 Conclusions
This pape showed ha op ical ib e sensing is a se o echnologies wi h highly use ul applica ions, no only o
NRENs and hei in insic use case o ensu ing he heal h o hei ne wo k in as uc u es, bu also o NRENs as
ope a o s and owne s o op ical elecom ib e in hei wo k o suppo ing esea ch and educa ion.
Among he main bene i s o NRENs om using he ib e ne wo k as a passi e senso a e:
• De ec ion o ib e condi ions and moni o ing he heal h s a us o in as uc u e.
• Pe ime e secu i y, su eillance, and he c ea ion o an i-in usion sys ems o p o ec hei Poin -o -
P esence (PoP) si es.
• Moni o ing o da a in eg i y in ansi .
NRENs and use s u ilising ib e sensing o e es ial applica ions may bene i om using SOP me hods o keep
he cos s o such solu ions low because o compe ing e es ial solu ions (simple senso s o CCTV analogues).
Less expensi e a ian s o DAS, using in e io and he e o e less expensi e componen s (e.g., low-cos cohe en
lase s), may also be an in e es ing a ian o NRENs o collec he da a hey equi e. Howe e , his would need
o be balanced wi h he needs o he esea ch communi ies ha wish o u ilise high-quali y da a in hei esea ch
and he e icacy o he sensi i i y esul s ga he ed.
The con e gence o sensing and communica ions is becoming inc easingly p ac ical. Acco ding o he pape
Using Global Exis ing Fibe Ne wo ks o En i onmen al Sensing [14], cohe en de ec ion and digi al signal
p ocessing (DSP) echniques now allow elecom ib es o se e as p og ammable senso s.
This documen also mapped he equency anges o in e es o speci ic esea ch a eas o he app op ia e ib e-
sensing echnologies. Legal and secu i y aspec s ha equi e conside a ion in he con ex o ib e sensing we e
b ie ly discussed; u he wo k in hese a eas mus include he NREN communi ies and ecosys em.
Fib e Sensing: Technologies, Use s and Use Cases o NRENs
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Glossa y
DDSS Dis ibu ed Dynamic S ain Sensing
DFOS Dis ibu ed Fib e-Op ic Sensing
DSP Digi al Signal P ocessing
DTS Dis ibu ed Tempe a u e Sensing
DWDM Dense Wa eleng h Di ision Mul iplexing
HLLB High-Loss Loopback
ISP In e ne Se ice P o ide
MTTD Mean Time To De ec
MTTR Mean Time To Repai
NAS Ne wo k A ached S o age
NOC Ne wo k Ope a ions Cen e,
NREN Na ional Resea ch and Educa ion Ne wo k
NTP Ne wo k Time P o ocol
OTDR Op ical Time-Domain Re lec ome y,
PoP Poin o P esence
PTP P ecision Time P o ocol
R&E Resea ch and Educa ion
SMART Science Moni o ing and Reliable Telecommunica ions
SOP S a e o Pola isa ion
SOP-OTDR S a e o Pola isa ion - Op ical Time Domain Re lec ome y
SyncE Synch onous E he ne
TRL Technology Readiness Le el
ϕ-OTDR Phase-Sensi i e Op ical Time-Domain Re lec ome y
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