All-optical network technology enablers

This paper explores the research and development community´s recent activities and MCI´s needs in the areas of optical frequency division multiplexing, add-drop, frequency translators, regeneration, space-division switching, wavelength-division switching, optical signal processing, and the optical amplifier. However, unlike the submarine systems with one or only a few carriers and 5000 or longer kilometer modulation sections, the long-distance terrestrial systems will install many carriers of dense-wavelength-division multiplexing with line amplifiers with spacings of 70 -90 km, and optoelectronic modulation sections of 500 km. The next few years promise to be a pioneering era for all-optical networks