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Optical Switching Systems and Flex-Grid Technologies

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Handbook of Radio and Optical Networks Convergence

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Abstract

Driven by future (beyond 5G and 6G) services and applications, optical networks are required to support an ever increasing and more dynamic data traffic in a flexible and efficient manner. In this evolutionary scenario, an optical bandwidth allocation based on a fixed-grid spectrum is no longer suitable for addressing the envisioned multi-Tb/s capacity links and dynamic connectivity, while ensuring an optimal usage of the network resources and the available infrastructure. Thus, optical switching systems require advanced technologies to support this novel flexible paradigm.

This chapter presents the fundamental building blocks, the network elements and technologies enabling elastic optical networks, flex-grid channel allocation and routing, as well as multiple and advanced switching operations. This includes the bandwidth-variable optical cross-connect, wavelength selective switch, and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, as well as flexible transceivers, such as the (sliceable) bandwidth/bitrate variable transceiver, and software defined networking-based control and orchestration. Commercial technologies as well as latest research solutions currently under investigation are presented and discussed highlighting a path for optical switching systems enabling flexible operation and dynamic high-capacity connectivity for both optical and data center networks.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC/CERCA), Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain

    Michela Svaluto Moreolo

  2. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain

    Salvatore Spadaro

  3. Eindhoven University of technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, Netherlands

    Nicola Calabretta

Authors
  1. Michela Svaluto Moreolo
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  2. Salvatore Spadaro
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  3. Nicola Calabretta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michela Svaluto Moreolo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

    Tetsuya Kawanishi

Section Editor information

  1. NICT, Tokyo, Japan

    Ben Puttnam

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Svaluto Moreolo, M., Spadaro, S., Calabretta, N. (2023). Optical Switching Systems and Flex-Grid Technologies. In: Kawanishi, T. (eds) Handbook of Radio and Optical Networks Convergence. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4999-5_39-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4999-5_39-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-33-4999-5

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