Large scale optical test-beds for network research and innovation

The talk will report on the use of large-scale optical network test-beds in the UK and Europe as open innovation platforms aiming to bring together different network and non-network research communities in an experimentally-driven interdisciplinary research environment. The test-beds provide a realistic basis for scientifically rigorous assessments at technological, economic and societal levels. The approach helps to identify possible migration paths for technological developments, discover new and emerging behaviours and usage patterns and address the problem of bridging the gap between technologies and applications.