With the capacity
of each WDM system reaching several Tb/s, and with many routes in the network
relying on WDM, the increase in granularity is appropriate.
A major obstacle to the deployment of optical cross connects is the requirement of
having very large port counts. The optical-band concept virtually eliminates this issue.
An all-optical cross connect with a modest number of ports can provide a tremendous
amount of throughput by operating at the level of the optical band.
The optical bands described fit neatly into the big pipe concept. In light of the rapid
growth occurring in carrier networks, the scalability of the big pipe concept has great
appeal. Carriers can continue to increase capacity while maintaining a manageable
network.
The increasing amount of information carried over core networks is forcing service
providers to continually upgrade their networks. The deployment of WDM equipment
is providing the capacity, and service providers are searching for a means to manage
the large number of wavelengths that will operate in the near future. Considering that
the amount of information carried on each wavelength is relatively constant, however,
deploying the hottest optical or electrical-switching technology in the form of wavelength-
based optical cross-connects loses its appeal in the long term.
Pages:
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679