The huge traffic growth which is currently experienced (traffic nearly doubles every year) and foreseen to continue for several years calls for high capacity networks capable of efficiently handling various types of traffic (voice, video, data). WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) optical networks exploiting also fast optical packet switching are expected to provide the required capacity and flexibility for the next generation of high-speed networks. In this context, the European ACTS KEOPS project (KEys to Optical Packet Switching) has concentrated on the definition, development and assessment of optical packet switching and routing networks capable of providing transparency to the payload bit rate. Optical packets of fixed duration have been considered where the payload bit rate, which is user-dependent, can vary from a few hundred Mb/s to 10 Gb/s whereas the header is at a fixed low bit rate (622 Mb/s) to facilitate processing at the networkode interfaces. The challenge addressed by the KEOPS project was therefore to combine the advantages of the relatively coarse-grained WDM techniques with emerging all-optical switching capabilities to yield a high-throughput optical platform directly underpinning next generation data networks (ATM, IP). The project which involved nine partners (Alcatel Alsthom Recherche (F), France Telecom-CNET (F), CSELT (I), Technical University of Denmark (DK), Alcatel CIT (F), Alcatel SEL (D), University of Bologna (I), ETH-Zurich (CH) and University of Strathclyde (UK)) has addressed both network and system studies as well as demonstration experiments based on advanced optoelectronic components developed in the project in order to validate the proposed concept.
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