ITU-T G.681: the first distributed fiber optic sensing standard for in-service terrestrial optical networks

Considering the growing interest in adopting distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) technology for telecom infrastructure monitoring and protection, ITU-T SG15 recently approved the G.681 Recommendation to address the demand. This standard represents a major milestone and the first step toward building a viable DFOS ecosystem for the telecom industry. It specifies the optical interface parameters for utilizing DFOS for in-service terrestrial networks. This paper discusses DFOS application examples, provides an overview of the G.681 Recommendation, and offers readers insights and rationale behind the development of the standard.