A new architecture for optical networks

As operators and service providers try to meet the ever-increasing demands for high capacity services, they need to overcome the problem that the cost of increasing network capacity to meet the demand for bandwidth can easily exceed the subsequent growth in revenues. This article describes the service scenarios and economic analysis that led to the conclusion that a radical approach for optical access and core is required. It then discusses a way forward for the evolution of the access and core optical network architecture that could provide a high-capacity, multiservice capability to all types of customer, with a minimum number of tiers and network nodes, at costs significantly lower than traditional network evolution could realise.