What is the main benefit of deploying wdm technology?
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) uses closely spaced channels to enable a higher bandwidth on single-mode fiber. WDM networks combine different traffic protocols and transfer speeds onto the same optical wavelength channel, resulting in significant savings in fiber infrastructure cost. These networks can also easily respond to changing bandwidth needs, and support a variety of QoS requirements.
Earlier fiber-optic transmission systems used pulses of light to put information on strands of glass, sending bits of data as simple “ones” and “zeroes” over the fiber--but this only gave them a limited range of signal strength over short distances. With the introduction of DWDM, these systems could be expanded by adding new wavelength channels and enabling them to travel over much longer distances.
Today’s networks that need to rapidly increase capacity are turning to programmable coherent technologies. These can leverage the C-band spectrum of a fiber and cram 40, 88 or even 96 additional channels into the same optical wavelength, doubling the transport capacity over dark fiber links.
The key is in a network’s design. Traditional centralized DWDM systems have large, fixed equipment that must be connected with the switches and routers whose traffic they need to transport. This requires cabling back to the centralized system and consumes a lot of power. Smartoptics’ decentralized DWDM solutions allow you to connect individual DWDM modules directly in the racks of switches and routers, minimizing cabling and eliminating the need for any OEO conversion.
