Earthquake-Tolerant Energy-Aware Algorithm for WDM Backbone Network

Abstract

Traffic on backbone communication networks is growing significantly every year. This results in an increase in both energy consumption and the carbon footprint they leave on the environment. As a response, research efforts are focused on reducing energy consumption in telecom networks. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks are key for addressing rising bandwidth demands in backbone networks, but this leads to a concurrent surge in energy usage. Additionally, regions with high seismic activity risk damage to backbone networks from earthquakes, causing significant bandwidth loss and service disruptions. This paper aims to reduce the energy consumption in a backbone network by implementing an algorithm that optimizes energy efficiency while preserving network connectivity and resistance to earthquake phenomena. The proposed algorithm redesigns and modifies a backbone network by deactivating the unnecessary links without affecting the network performance. The scheme is extensively evaluated through simulations using real seismic data from the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens, confirming earthquake resilience and energy efficiency goals, with an energy saving of up to 9% compared to existing solutions.