Introduction to the OFC 2025 Special Issue

OFC 2025 invited papers, tutorials, and those with the highest marks were invited to provide an extended paper to JOCN, and this Special Issue brings this remarkable array of papers together. Two of the main themes are passive optical networks (PONs) and the use of AI across virtually all aspects of optical networks. This introduction picks out just some of the highlights in this Special Issue, and the reader is encouraged to explore the entire collection.