All-Optical Switches: PON & FTTx Networks Bring New Focus

Abstract

In the heyday of the promise of optical networking, nothing was as holy as the holy grail of all-optical networking. The promise of transmission and switching happening at light-speed without dependence on protocols was the elixir of an overactive marketplace.

A robust market for all sorts of devices for "optical networking" has arrived, but very few devices implement their functionality optically. The venerable optical cross-connect (OXC), for example, is usually an optical-electrical-optical device that is more of a super-charged digital access cross connect (DACS or DXC).

Rather than settling as the cornerstone of the much vaunted transparent optical network, the all-optical switch (AOS) has the opportunity to find a home in the offices of those network providers (FSOs, ILECs, etc.) rolling out the fiber to homes and businesses. The AOS is finding growing traction as a replacement for the manual optical cross connect as companies need to automate the provisioning, testing and maintenance of the large amount of fiber being installed to provide services to office parks and neighborhoods.

The use of the AOS for automated fiber management gives network operators more functionality than a simple patch panel. Besides the elimination of patch cords, these physical-layer, transparent switches have additional benefits, including:

• Reduction in cost
• Elimination of errors
• Rapid provisioning
• Flexible and rapid testing
• Improved control and integration
• Elimination of abandoned connections
• Reduced truck-rolls to isolate faults

Other uses for all-optical cross connects include:

• Communication & Data Networks -- Intelligent, rapid reconfiguration of the network at the physical layer.
• Manufacturing and Test:
  • Component Design & Verification
  • Manufacturing Automation
  • Network Design & Simulation

This report analyzes the designs and applications of all-optical switches and the products offered by the profiled companies. Of critical importance, this report assesses the size of the current and future marketplace for these devices.

Companies profiled include: Calient, Chromux, Continuum, Dicon, Engana GlimmerGlass, Lambda Optical Systems, Lynx Photonic Networks, MEMX, and Polatis.