October 2021 Vol. 19 No. 10

View from the Top

• Tomoyoshi Oono, Senior Vice President, Head of NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group

  

  Overview
  The NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group aims to create a world in which all people are happy and can live their lives safely, securely, and healthy. Its three laboratories (i.e., NTT Human Informatics Laboratories, NTT Social Informatics Laboratories, and NTT Computer and Data Science Laboratories) research and develop technologies for integrating cyber and physical spaces to create a world in which a harmonious relationship between the Earth, society, and individuals is built. We interviewed Tomoyoshi Oono, senior vice president, head of the NTT Service Innovation Laboratory Group, who is orchestrating the laboratory group’s efforts to solve social issues and create new value by thinking outside the box, about his new mission and the qualities required of top management.

Front-line Researchers

• William John Munro, Senior Distinguished Researcher, NTT Basic Research Laboratories

  

  Overview
  Researchers at NTT Basic Research Laboratories are aiming to create new technologies harnessing the power of quantum mechanics. In November 2020, they proposed a method for compressing quantum circuits to enable high-speed quantum computation and the miniaturization of quantum computers in the US scientific journal Physical Review X. In February 2021, the British scientific journal Nature Communications published a paper on the demonstration of a high-speed quantum random-number generator that achieves the highest levels of security by using the world’s first practical optical device. We interviewed William John Munro, a senior distinguished researcher at the laboratories and leading figure in the broad field of quantum technology, about his research activities and his attitude as a researcher.

Rising Researchers

• Takeru Inoue, Distinguished Researcher, NTT Network Innovation Laboratories

  

  Overview
  One of the current challenges with information and communication networks is their lack of flexibility. It takes a lot of work to set up a new optical path between sites. Moreover, it is very difficult to establish optical paths if each site uses different optical transmission devices. Distinguished Researcher Takeru Inoue aims to configure a flexible network that allows us to freely switch between paths. Here, he tells us more about his field: optical path design for large-scale computing infrastructure.

NTT Technology Report for Smart World

• Release of NTT Technology Report for Smart World 2021

  

  Abstract
  NTT Research and Development Planning Department annually releases the NTT Technology Report for Smart World, which summarizes its vision for the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) launched in 2019 and technologies intended to make the world a better place for everyone. It has now published the 2021 edition. This article provides an overview and main updates of the new edition.

Feature Articles: Network-service Technologies Enabled by the All-Photonics Network for IOWN

• Network-service Technology Enabled by the All-Photonics Network

  

  Abstract
  To implement the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN), an advanced network that can efficiently process a large amount of data incomparable with the conventional Internet is required. To satisfy this requirement, NTT is researching and developing the epoch-making All-Photonics Network (APN), which will make maximum use of photonics-electronics convergence technology. This article describes activities related to function-dedicated network (FDN) architecture and the network-service technology that can be implemented on an FDN to provide various services via the APN.

• On-demand Photonic Multipoint Connection Technology Supporting High-presence Communications Services

  

  Abstract
  Aiming for the next generation of high-presence communications services, this article presents a multipoint connection technology to provide a user-specific photonic communications network on demand for specific applications and requirements by constantly monitoring and linking/controlling various technical elements of the All-Photonics Network, such as the user interface, communication bandwidth, low latency, and local high-precision time keeping.

• Wireless Technologies toward Extreme NaaS―Multi-radio Proactive Control Technologies (Cradio^®)

  

  Abstract
  Services accommodated by wireless communications require not only improvements in basic performance such as extreme high capacity, extreme low latency, and extreme mass connectivity but also the means of satisfying requirements that combine these features in sophisticated ways. The provision of services that can deliver wireless access applicable to extreme service requirements in a flexible manner whenever and wherever needed is called “extreme network as a service (NaaS).” The technologies needed for extreme NaaS are currently under development, and as elemental technologies, NTT is promoting the research and development of Multi-radio Proactive Control Technologies (Cradio^®) for assessing diverse wireless conditions and proactively controlling wireless access. This article introduces an image of the world that extreme NaaS will make possible and describes Cradio.

• Wireless Technology for Extreme NaaS—Remote Beamforming Schemes for Analog Radio-over-fiber-based High-frequency-band Wireless Communication Systems

  

  Abstract
  As one of the wireless communication technologies for extreme NaaS (network as a service), NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories previously proposed a system configuration to effectively expand the coverage area of high-frequency-band wireless systems. This configuration can separate the functions of a wireless base station and simplify remote radio units by using the analog radio-over-fiber technique. High-frequency-band wireless systems require beamforming to improve receiving sensitivity. This article describes remote beamforming schemes to enable beamforming with simplified remote radio units.

• Cooperative Infrastructure Platform for Delivering Mission-critical Services

  

  Abstract
  To solve various social problems, we are researching the integration of network and computing technologies as social infrastructure. The Cooperative Infrastructure Platform being researched and developed at NTT Network Service Systems Laboratories is introduced in this article. To meet service requirements in an end-to-end manner and provide mission-critical services, this platform uses coordinated control among three domains—information processing, network, and device—in fields such as remote monitoring and control of autonomous agricultural machinery, advanced autonomous vehicles, and smart cities.

Regular Articles

• Real-time Virtual-network-traffic-monitoring System with FPGA Accelerator

  

  Abstract
  There is a growing demand for a virtual-network-traffic-monitoring system for managing and controlling network services. Such a system must be able to handle high-load processing such as analyzing encapsulated packets and network-traffic classification using many header fields. To visualize network traffic for a virtual machine in real time, we propose a real-time virtual-network-traffic-monitoring system with a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) accelerator. Our system consists of a resource-saving hash-based network-traffic classifier (NTC) that classifies virtual network traffic at high speed using many search conditions. The hash-based NTC reduces memory resources by using a two-step hash search. Our system with this hash-based NTC provides a real-time visualization of multiple statistics such as the number of packets, bytes, microbursts, and histograms of jitter and latency for each virtual machine. To verify the performance of the hash-based NTC, we evaluated the number of searches per input packet. As a result of classifying virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) packets into 10,000 categories using 17 header fields, the average number of searches executed with the hash-based NTC was about one-fourth that of a search-tree-based NTC. In addition, memory and logic-resource usage of the hash-based NTC were on average about 40 and 80%, respectively, which were less than those of several FPGA-based ternary content addressable memories with the same rules. Finally, we demonstrated that our system with the hash-based NTC visualizes VXLAN traffic for each virtual machine in real time.

Global Standardization Activities

• Latest Trends in 400- and Beyond 400-Gbit/s Ethernet Standardization in IEEE 802.3

  

  Abstract
  The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3 Working Group has been proceeding with high-speed point-to-point Ethernet standardization to address increasing communication bandwidth demand in datacenter and telecom networks. Discussion has begun on beyond 400-Gbit/s Ethernet as a next-generation rate of Ethernet. This article explains the trends in the standardization of 400-Gbit/s and beyond 400-Gbit/s Ethernet.

Practical Field Information about Telecommunication Technologies

• Investigation on Damage to Optical Fiber Cables Caused by Freezing and Thawing of Water in a Lifting Pipe

  

  Abstract
  This article introduces an investigation into the mechanism of damage to optical fiber cables and polyethylene pipes in lifting pipes installed in cold regions. We carried out examinations using a physical simulation model in a large thermostatic room. This is the sixty-sixth article in a series on telecommunication technologies.

External Awards

• External Awards