Advances in Optical Communications and Networking Technologies

The articles in this special section focus on advancements in optical communications and networking technologies (OCNS). OCNS has been playing an increasingly important role in interconnecting a large variety of IT resources over globally distributed autonomous network systems, to facilitate cost-effective information exchange and data processing. In 2018, with the emergence of fifth generation (5G)-oriented optical transmission and access networks, we witnessed optical communication networks becoming more adaptive and reconfigurable to support dynamic optical service provisioning, protection, and restoration, and to deliver short time to market and cost-effective services and solutions. Following this trend, we expect to observe continued expansion of optical transmission and access networks and faster convergence of optical and wireless infrastructures in 2019.