Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) in Telecom Networks: Industry Trends and Standards Development

The quest to build the best network with the best performance for the best customer experience is a perpetual top priority for network operators and service providers. For operators with large buildout of optical fiber infrastructure, distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) drives a paradigm shift that will not only greatly enhance network performance and operations, but also create new business opportunities to transform customer experiences. Presently, DFOS in the telecom industry is still in its early stages as existing systems are purpose-built for other industries. To accelerate the ecosystem development, the ITU-T is taking the lead to standardize the first telecom DFOS Recommendation, targeting consent in October 2025. This paper discusses industry trends, progress, and challenges of DFOS standards development for both metro and access networks, as well as explores the use cases and opportunities of a future coordinated optical fiber and wireless sensing network.