Demo Zone Submission Guidelines

The OFC Demo Zone features live, hands-on technology demonstrations in an interactive format that encourages real-time dialogue between attendees and presenters. OFC Demo Zone is an in-person event only - virtual participation or pre-recorded presentations cannot be accommodated. Demo zone submission guidelines are described below.

Topic Categories

The 2027 OFC Demo Zone showcases various aspects of optical physical layer transmission, hardware, and network orchestration/intelligence. These aspects include, but are not restricted to:

• Automated Device Alignment or Characterization Setups
• Hierarchical Packet/Optical Pluggable Control
• Automated Measurement Setups for Advanced Transmission Experiments Including the Use of Novel Optical Fibers
• Systems, Sub-Systems, and Devices for Free-Space, Microwave, or Optical Fiber Transmission and Switching
• Digital Processing Sub-Systems and Sensing, Including Integration of Communications and Sensing
• Optical Access Networks Including Their Convergence with Metro Transport, Wireless Access Networks, Mobile Edge Computing
• Novel Networking Elements and Concepts, Including Those Supporting Time-Deterministic and Low-Latency Applications
• Network Virtualization, Slicing, Software-Defined Control of Networks
• Programmable Networks, Including Softwarised Network Functions and Programmable Hardware
• Application of AI and ML to Optical Networks, Systems, and Subsystems, Including Autonomous Network Management, Control and Orchestration
• Digital Twin for Optical Networks, Systems, and Subsystems
• AI for Optics and Optics for AI
• Quantum Networking, Including Demonstration of Entanglement Distribution, Hybrid Quantum and Postquantum Solutions and Quantum Layer Management
• Implementation of Advanced QKD Applications and Quantum Protocols, Including Practical Implementation for Quantum/Classical Interaction

The chance to showcase technical accomplishments in depth through live demonstrations provides a great opportunity for engaging in discussions with participants.

Demo Proposal Submission Guidelines

Adherence to the instructions for preparing the demo proposals is imperative. No changes or revisions to the manuscript will be allowed after the deadline. While the on-site demo may address additional performance or functional criteria beyond the ones proposed, it must cover the scope of demo content and implementation stated in the manuscript.

Proposals for demonstrations must be submitted via the online submission system, with a demo description in PDF format, in accordance with the OFC regular paper style guide. Do not email, fax, or mail your proposal. A complete electronic submission is due before the published deadline. It should be three pages in length and will include the following:

• The title of the demo and the primary demo presenter's name and affiliation must appear on the first page, with all additional authors and their affiliations.
• A 35-word abstract.
• An “Overview” section giving a complete description of the demo’s research theme and the technologies being demonstrated.
• An “Innovation” section describing the problem and demo’s novelty in solving it.
• An “OFC Relevance” section explaining why the OFC audience and communities should be interested in this demo.
• A “Demo content & implementation” section clearly explaining:
  1. the objectives and the configuration of the demo;
  2. how the demonstration will be physically set up, including description of equipment to be used;
  3. how the demo will be presented to the attendees; and
  4. how attendees might be able to interact with the demonstration (this last feature is essential to make the session engaging).
• The objective should be to demonstrate an innovative application, a working prototype, or a novel concept in the space of optical communication devices, systems, transmission, and networks.
• If a demo proposal is associated with a submitted or published technical paper, the authors must explicitly state this and clearly explain how the two contributions differ.
• Demonstrations should be based on technical achievements and prototypes at a research stage (i.e., no pre-commercial or product demonstrations are allowed).

In principle, the maturity of the demonstrated feature should be at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 or lower. Please refer to the Wikipeida article on TRL.

Accepted OFC demo papers will undergo an on-site quality assessment to make sure the demo presented at OFC meets the requirements specified in the demo proposal. If the on-site demonstration deviates significantly from the accepted proposal, OFC reserves the right to decline to publish the demo paper.

Submission Deadline: 17 November 2026, 12:00 Noon Eastern Time (UTC-05:00)

Materials Provided by OFC Onsite for Accepted Demo Zone Demonstrations

An 8’ x 30” (243 cm x 76 cm) countertop table, an 8-foot-high x 4-foot-wide (244 cm x 122 cm) bulletin board (as for the poster session), a power outlet strip (5 outlets), and WLAN connectivity.

Demonstrations occur in dedicated booths in the Demo Zone, equipped with a table, monitor, and bulletin board. They are shown to small groups, favoring an interactive format with real-time exchanges between attendees and demo presenters. Demonstrations are typically executed on request and may incorporate a mix of on-site and remote equipment, including live connections to remote hardware or experiments. Recorded videos may be used as supporting material but should not replace active interaction.

Don't miss this year's demonstrations — Get in the Zone!