GrapHICs: a three-year fellowship for the future of fiber optic networks through a collaboration between Open Fiber and the University of Naples Federico II
Automating and making optical signal routing in telecommunications networks even more sustainable: this is the goal of RESTART focused project F5 – GrapHICs.
Partners in the project include Open Fiber, which, in developing the prototype at the heart of GrapHICs, launched a three-year grant in November 2023 in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II. The grant was won by Dr. Mohamed Mammri, who was assisted in his research work by Professor Francesco Della Corte, professor of electrical engineering at the Campania university.
Experiments carried out in the laboratories of the Isasi Institute of the National Research Council in Naples have already yielded the first results, which have so far flowed into four scientific publications: the interaction between nanomaterials (especially graphene) and optical signal has highlighted the concrete possibility of miniaturizing and remotely managing the hubs of next-generation telecommunications infrastructure, a discovery that may have a decisive impact on the development of future smart cities.
The scholarship is dedicated to the memory of Salvatore Nigrelli, former head of Open Fiber’s network in Southern Italy who died prematurely in 2021. The research carried out by Dr. Mammri is thus intended to represent an ideal continuation of the work put in by engineer Nigrelli, a commitment underscored by the solidarity association that now bears his name. In recent days, inside the Neapolitan headquarters of the CNR, the first meeting took place between those responsible for the research, representatives of Open Fiber and family members of Salvatore Nigrelli.
“I intend to thank Open Fiber, the Federico II University and the Nigrelli Association for the opportunity to be able to further research optical technologies – says Dr. Mohamed Mammri – The ’Graphics’ project is indeed an essential junction for the future of telecommunications networks”.