Optical Networking: Status Update

摘要

Optical networking attracted a lot of interest in the telecommunication industry during the late 1990s. This interest has weakened since the downturn of this industry in 2000-2001 and throughout the post bubble years. Today, there are signs that optical networking is coming back. In this paper, we examine the current status of optical networking and switching, in terms of deployment in communication networks. We provide a status update in the telecommunication and cable industries. We also discuss today's trend toward relying on optical networks in advanced research and education (R&E) networking initiatives.