Today’s dynamic optical networks use various forms of software-controlled optical switching technology to help enable automation and reconfiguration. One increasingly common approach is to use remotely configurable optical add/drop multiplexers (fortunately, universally known as ROADMs) to route optical wavelengths through a network. The point is to break the inflexible one-to-one association between wavelengths and routes in traditional Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) transport networks. To subsequently route optical services at capacities below that of an entire wavelength, and to create granular-service meshes, other devices such as intelligent optical switches can then come into play.
This increased flexibility, it is claimed, when combined with other technology developments, should hugely simplify network and service planning and provisioning, save carriers a lot of money, and generally make networks fit much better with end-user requirements for packet services in general (and for Ethernet in particular). Ethernet matters a lot, because this is the way the telecom wind is blowing, and there are lots of things that carriers could do to improve their service offerings (and hence revenues) if their networks were more Ethernet capable.
Unsurprisingly, the ROADM market has been growing rapidly at the metro and regional levels since that area of application first emerged in earnest in 2005. In its September 2006 report, "ROADM & WDM Worldwide Market Forecast, 2006-2011," Heavy Reading forecast the ROADM market to grow more than twice as fast as the overall metro WDM market to 2011, when it should reach around $1 billion.
While ROADMs have been deployed in core backbones for a few years now, North American Tier 1 carriers have recently started their first rounds of deployment of the technology in metro and regional optical networks, and similar activity is taking place in Asian markets such as Japan. In Europe, ROADM deployment continues to be mainly focused on core networks, but this is expected to extend to the metro and regional levels over time.
So a lot of momentum is building up around this approach to dynamic optical networks as vendors looking for a metro optical growth opportunity pile in. But how do the various bits behind the ROADM story fit together? How strong are the reasons for making optical networks dynamic? Are the standards sorted? What are the alternative ROADM architectures, and how do their requirements and capabilities vary? And what of the underlying optical wavelength-switching components that make ROADMs possible? How are they keeping up with the tough performance requirements?
This report looks at these issues to summarize some key trends. Here’s a hyperlinked contents list:
This report is based on a Webinar, Deploying Dynamic Optical Networks, moderated by Sterling Perrin, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading, and sponsored by Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq: CIEN),
Data Connection Ltd. (DCL) ,
JDS Uniphase Corp. (Nasdaq: JDSU; Toronto: JDU), and
Xtellus Inc. An archive of the Webinar may be viewed free of charge by clicking here.
In addition to your list: Sonus Sycamore Quantum Bridge Syndesis Vivace
...here are a few i know of:
Astral Point (acquired by ALA - still alive - 1671 and 1677) Avici Systems (standalone - public) Catena Networks (acquired by ciena - still alive) Ellacoya Networks (standalone - changed strategy since that time) Sorrento Networks (acquired by Zhone - still alive - Luxn is in there as well)
I don't think I talked with Terawave back in the day (I was splitting the comms beat with Loring Wirbel). There were so many Tera companies to get straight - Terawave, 'Beam, 'Force, 'Chip, 'dvance, 'Connect ...
Gads, I just did a search, and there was even a GigaTera: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=10745
All kinds of similarities including the government regulation of pipelines as common carriage allowing the wildcatters access to the refineries.
Every derrick in the following picture is like a name on the back of that T-shirt.
http://www.spindletop.org/history/index.htm
The state has taken back control of our industry and put it under federal controls. If anybody wants to start drilling again we probably need to address that as a priority item number one.
I grew up in optics. I was one of the first employees at Tellium. I was cleaning out my T-Shirts and found one from Supercomm 2000. It was the T-Shirt given out at the Upstarts "Lighten UP" bash. The back of my T-Shirt lists the 29 "hot" start-ps which sponsored the event. I recall the party which was elaborate: complete with fancy delectables and expensive champagne. We even had Martin Short as the entertainment. We spared no expense. Many of the Executives from the start-ups were there as were the staffers such as myself. We all had visions of wealth and fame in our eyes. Some of us were building homes and pricing Lamborghini's. Ahhhh, it was a happy delusional time. HEre is the list on my T-Shirt. I am not completely sure but I t hink out of the 29 companies the only ones still standing are: Sonus, Sycamore, Quantum Bridge, Syndesis and Vivace. I am saving my T'Shirt for the Museum of Optics. That and my Tellium Bag. Here is the list, read it and weep...I did.
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