Faster-than-Nyquist and beyond: how to improve spectral efficiency by accepting interference

Abstract

We investigate the application of time and frequency packing techniques, an extension of the classical faster-than-Nyquist signaling, to long-haul optical links. These techniques provide a significant spectral efficiency increase and represent a viable alternative to overcome the theoretical and technological issues related to the use of high-order modulation formats. Adopting these techniques, we successfully demonstrate through simulations the transmission of 1 Tbps over 200 GHz bandwidth in a realistic (nonlinear) long-haul optical link.