Evolution of packet-optical integration in backbone and metropolitan high-speed networks: a standards perspective

Network operators are currently in the midst of a situation in which there is doubling of bandwidth requirement every two years, although the growth in revenue is nearly flat. In this situation providers must plan their networks to optimize for future growth and take into consideration flat-to-declining operating margins. The OPEX benefits of keeping the data in the lower layers of the network stack can be leveraged to plan future networks. We focus on the impact of evolving standards in the lower layers of the telecommunications stack through the contributions of the IEEE, ITU, and IETF. Specifically, we focus on the WDM, carrier Ethernet, OTN, MPLS, and MPLS-TP set of transport standards. These standards have evolved and are being adapted to meet the requirements of next generation networks and currently being considered in the standard bodies. We show through a simulation study that by adopting the packet-optical integrated standard families, providers would benefit because of CAPEX reduction and thereby enhance margins - benefiting the e-community through better services.