Techno-economic evaluation of mode division multiplexing in subsea transmission systems

We model few-mode transmission as a potential cost/bit improvement solution in long-haul subsea systems. Without including the costs and complexities of MIMO transponders, we see some potential reduction relative to high fiber count cables with current subsea single-core/single-mode fibers, but only at the expense of much higher electric power requirements. Very high mode counts do not appear to offer significant advantages.