All-optic networks provide network capacity within the Photonic Domain. The Photonic Domain involves the use of radiant energy with photon as its fundamental element. Likewise, as electronic applications use electrons, the Photonic uses the photon.

 

The intelligent all-optic networks are redefining the optical industry, in fact, it is re-shaping the future. An all-optic network can be associated with a broad range of benefits including light, which can travel quicker than electricity, providing the opportunity for data to travel more efficiently through an all-optic network. Further, all-optic networks do not rely on electrical power and cooling, nor is it influenced by unique protocols.

 

Most conveniently, an all-optic network does allow many services to share the same network and fibre, allowing widespread connections. A single optical fibre has the power and potential to carry up to three million telephone calls concurrently. This is achieved through the visible light and infrared beams having the ability to swiftly pass through each other without interchanging.   

 

The development and trends of an all-optical network are rapidly growing and are having calls for collaboration of the entire industry chain to start building all-optic networks immediately. The world is becoming a fully connected intelligent era. You can just about find anything online, with data centres and private lines predicted to account for the majority of the connections in the near future. 

 

Recent insights have discovered that the global IP traffic is rapidly increasing (more than 30% per year), estimating that the internet will burn 10% of the 2020 global electricity supply. In fact, up to 30 billion network connections and 800 million home broadband connections are forecasted. As a result, a huge influx of data is expected, driven predominately by broadcasting/multicasting, streaming internet protocol tv (IPTV), high-quality videos using ultra-high definition videos as well as rich media files that are been sent across to phones and tablets. 

 

Technological advances have allowed an increase in DWDM data rates (higher than 100 Gb/s per optical carrier), however, these technologies will soon be outdated due to the expected growth in traffic volume. In order to deal with the growing demand, insights suggest that an optical network needs to transmit (transparently), switch channels (such as wavelengths, sub wavelength channels and wavebands) as well as provide on-demand bandwidth in a scalable manner. 

 

The general approach towards encouraging the growth of elastic/flexible optical systems include single SDN XCVR, BW increase, flexible spectrum approach and Multicore fiber using the SDM technology. However, due to cost restrictions, optical nodes are needed to allocate resources in the next generation of optical communication as they are an effective way to supply high and low data rate signals. An elastic network has been proposed which will provide adequate elastic resource allocation in spectrum as a solution to the demand and supply bandwidth issue. This method will allow a customised bandwidth per channel (based on the specific requirements). 

 

Across the globe, all parties within the all-optical era industry chain must collaborate to build a future and ecosystem of an all-optical network. Considering the efficient speed and simplicity we can experience, it is becoming a priority among many large corporations.  

 

The following are suggestions on how an all-optical network can be achieved:

 

  1.     Upgrade optical fibre projects as national strategies. Optical fibres are becoming fundamental for network media, therefore governments need to adjust to this and consider optical fibre projects to build a digital economy foundation.
  2.     Fibre projects to drive huge investments. Fibre projects will drive the network construction, with government subsidy and more investors participating in fibre construction and projects, the all-optic network infrastructure will be accelerated.
  3.     Build and promote a standards system. Network constructors need to all follow shared fibre connection detection standards to ensure a standardised and precision all-optic network.
  4.     Ecosystem alliance. To jointly build development systems and provide an all-optic access solution, as well as rapidly provide solutions for enterprises.

 

Considering the shared promotion and vision of partners across the all-optical network industry, it is possible that the 5G network has the potential to work seamlessly with the all-optic network, to enable intelligence and simplicity for all users globally. VIAVI is enabling optical filters for automotive applications to allow the light signal to travel further with an ability to operate at a high level of reliability. VIAVI has successfully produced over two hundred million optical filters that are high in quality, precision and durability. Partner with VIAVI today to push the drive towards an all-optical network.

 

 

 

 

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Channel Marketing Manager - APAC

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