A special session on Integrated Microwave Photonics in Access Networks was organised by EuIMWP in Sarajevo in September 2019

During the 8th International Workshop on Fiber Optics in Access Networks (FOAN), a successful special session on Integrated Microwave Photonics in Access Networks was organised by EuIMWP. A two-day event took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2–3 September 2019. It involved contributions by 14 speakers, from 10 countries, who presented solutions for the convergence of radio and optical access networks in a physical layer. The presentations covered devices, sub-systems and system solutions for data and synchronisation transfer. According to the special session chairs, Dr. Eszter Udvary Gerhátné and Dr. Bostjan Batagelj, integrated microwave photonics will bring new functionalities to access networks as well as enabling higher bandwidths and lower latencies. The fruitful discussion during the special session covered cost reduction and increasing the energy efficiency in optical access networks. The event was also a good opportunity for networking and establishing new research ideas and collaborations.