High Spectral-Efficiency DWDM Transmission with Mixed Data Rates and Signal Formats

摘要

Optical fiber transport networks have been evolving rapidly to meet the demands of today's telecommunications by providing unprecedented transmission capacity and reach. In dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) transport systems, 10-Gb/s channels are widely deployed, and 40-Gb/s channels are starting to be added in the same systems. In the foreseeable future, 100-Gb/s channels are expected to be carried. The realization of such high spectral-efficiency DWDM systems with mixed data rates and signal formats presents several technical challenges. In this paper, we review these challenges and discuss promising technologies that may potentially address these challenges.