ABSTRACT
Optical communication networks can support very high bandwidth because of the maturity of the wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technique. WDM transport systems with tera-bit-per-second (Tbps) capacity on a single strand of fiber are commercially available now; however, a number of technical challenges remain to be addressed before optical networks become the effective basis for a robust, high-capacity, and scalable next-generation information infrastructure. One such challenge is the development of standardized architectures and protocols for optical networks, appropriate at very high speeds, under different environments such as local, metro, and long-haul networks.
