The Concept and Technologies Behind a Metropolitan Optical Network

Abstract

Last year was a landmark for Wavelength Division Multiplex (WDM) systems, in that they became commercially available. Several of the long-distance network operators introduced WDM into their trunk networks. These systems are for the point to point transmission, and the question remains if WDM will also be cost effective in the metropolitan area where the prerequisites are different. Some of the characteristics are a dense fiber structure, granular traffic pattern, lower bitrates and short transmission distances (<50km). In the ACTS project METON (Metropolitan Optical Network) the main goal is to establish the use of WDM in a metropolitan area network. This paper describes the METON network concept and its development of advanced network elements.