Coarse of Action

摘要

The industry has drastically altered its definition of what makes equipment "sexy." After all, when it comes to making networks efficient and cost-effective, terms such as "low cost" and "easy implementation" have more appeal today than in years past. Regardless of how you define sexy, characteristics that motivate service provider spending are clear: Equipment must be inexpensive, fill an existing need and work with existing infrastructure. That's where relatively new technologies such as coarse wave division multiplexing, or CWDM, come into play. The technology fits the redefined criteria for sexy equipment and as a result, is quickly gaining traction as a metro access play. CWDM is a cheap way for providers to tackle fiber shortage problems in areas where the economics don't support alter- natives. It works with existing infrastructure, sports a protocol-agnostic descriptor and isn't hypersensitive to temperature fluctuations or other variables. But the technology has limitations, which are enough to possibly relegate it to a niche play. That said, CWDM may work very well for that niche, however small or large it becomes.