An all-optical multifiber tree network

Given that many optical fibers can be economically packaged within a single cable, the design of communication networks that exploit multifiber topologies is considered. A network architecture that uses the multifiber tree topology to provide high-speed datagram and circuit-switching communication services to a large population of stations is presented. Using a combination of space-, wavelength-, and time-division multiplexing, this network architecture provides all-optical transmission media to its stations and can interconnect several thousand stations in a metropolitan region without the need for optical amplification or electrooptical signal regeneration.