The fundamental principles of optical transmission technical training course
From optical fibres to transmission systems and today's multi-Terabit optical networks
We can run additional and in-company courses dependent on demand. Please contact us if you're interested.
About the training course
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to modern optical transmission, tracing the path from optical fibre fundamentals through transmission system design to the multi‑Terabit optical networks deployed by today’s operators.
It bridges theory and practice, explaining not only the underlying physics of optical transmission, but also how real‑world constraints - such as installed fibre quality, cost, resilience, scalability, and operational complexity - shape the design and evolution of optical networks.
Drawing on extensive operator experience, the course covers the full end‑to‑end lifecycle of optical networks, from technology selection and system architecture through deployment, operation, upgrade, and long‑term evolution.
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Andrew Lord
BT
Andrew joined BT in 1985 after a BA in Physics from Oxford University. He has helped design a wide range of optical network systems and technologies, including long haul subsea and terrestrial DWDM networks. Notably he led the design and build for a govern secure optical network.
He has been responsible for optical fibre and systems specifications. He currently leads BT’s optical research including optical access, high speed optical transmission and quantum communications. He has recently initiated BT’s quantum research, with applications in areas such as secure communications, timing and sensing. He leads a large, strong research team within BT.
He sits on multiple industry advisory boards and spends significant time advising start-ups and venture capital funds. He is recognised as an industry leader, regularly speaking at conferences and sitting on several organising committees, including ECOC; he was Technical Program Chair for OFC 2015 and General Chair for OFC 2017. He was TPC co-chair of ECOC 2023.
He co-founded the UK-based TOP conference. He was a founder member of BT’s Technical Fellowship and continues to drive this exciting new initiative, designed to bring together, train and retain top technical talent in the company. He is Editor-in-Chief of Optica’s Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, He is Visiting Professor at Essex University, Fellow of both the IEEE and Optica, and elected one of the first BT Fellows in 2024.
Key learning objectives
- Understand the fundamental properties of optical fibres ( old and new types) and their impact on transmission performance.
- Understand all of the key optical components used in modern optical transmission including lasers, modulators, detectors, receivers, optical amplifiers, wavelength multiplexers and demultiplexers.
- Explain how optical transmission systems are designed, including key trade‑offs between reach, capacity, flexibility, resilience, and cost.
- Appreciate the different types of systems including direct detection, coherent modulation, PON (Passive Optical Networks for access).
- Describe the operation and evolution of modern optical network architectures, including ROADMs and mesh networks.
- Appreciate how real installed fibre infrastructure influences system design and margin planning.
- Understand the role of flexible transceivers, wavelength grids, and software‑defined control in enabling scalable multi‑Terabit networks.
Who should attend?
This course is designed for anyone who wants a clear, system‑level understanding of modern optical transmission, from the behaviour of optical fibres to the design and operation of multi‑Terabit optical networks. It is particularly suitable for:
- Students and early‑career engineers wanting an overview of the field.
- Industry professionals wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the basics.
- Optical transmission and network engineers seeking a deeper understanding of system‑level and architectural trade‑offs.
- Product managers and technical specialists involved in optical platforms, transceivers, or network equipment.
- Policy makers, regulators, and technical strategists
If you are attending the course from outside of the UK and are paying for your booking using a company payment card where the company is VAT Registered and is the registered card billing address, please use the registration link for a VAT registered overseas company.
This form will capture your Company VAT Registration number and will be subject to Out of Scope VAT. Otherwise, VAT is charged at the UK rate of 20%.
If you are from outside the UK but paying with a personal payment card, please use the overseas individual link.
All prices are per person. If you require a proforma invoice before booking and/or wish to pay via purchase order, please contact us: events@theiet.org. We regret that we cannot accept AMEX for online payments.
*All students must provide a copy of their student pass or letter of enrolment from their college or University.
Once registered please email your documentation to events@theiet.org along with your booking confirmation number.
Discount codes are for member and non-member delegate registration only, and not applicable to student bookings.
If you need to pay for your group by proforma invoice, please contact events@theiet.org.