Chapter 5 - Carriers’ Networks

This is clearly a time to question everything, from carrier earnings statements to the direction of telecommunications technology development. In optical networks, there is certainly one long-held belief up for debate: the future is all-optical [1]!

Every optical carrier (OC) pitch over the past 3 years has included some reference to a time when optical networks will become dynamic, reconfigurable, and “transparent.” Though carriers have made limited moves in this direction, they remain mere dabblers when it comes to all-optical networking. Is it because the technology just is not mature enough, or does something more fundamental lie behind the reluctance [1]?

It is worth looking hard at the word “transparent.” It is often applied to an optical network interface or system because it operates entirely in the “optical” domain and is indifferent to protocol, bit rate, or formatting. In essence, it is truly optical: there is no need to process a signal, only to shunt a wavelength toward its ultimate destination. There has long been a sense of inevitability tied to this notion of the transparent optical network; time would yield the fruits of low-cost, scalable, photonic infrastructure. The optical would someday break free of the electronic [1].