The road to all-optical networks

This paper discusses the future of all-optical networks. The paper summarizes some of the major developments since optical fibers were commercially deployed. The paper then discusses the drivers for all-optical networks, mainly to increase the switching capacity. After that, the paper looks at the main challenges facing all-optical networks: optical buffering, optical switching, and optical wavelength-conversion. The paper also discusses the key solutions to address these challenges. Finally, the paper sheds the light on the different types of all-optical networks and concludes by a summary.