DWDM Technology and E-Government Initiatives

Abstract

The pervasive use of the Internet and unprecedented demand for dependable access to bandwidth-intensive multimedia applications motivate utilization of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) as a technological enabler of electronic government (e-government) operations by public agencies. In the public-sector, DWDM increasingly serves as a reliable technology for enhancing citizen access to inter-agency and intra-agency e-government programs, regulations, and policies and providing high-speed connectivity to e-government resources via optical fiber, a medium that transports voice, video, and data signals as light pulses. In addition to provisioning connections to feature-rich applications, DWDM also supports network backbone operations and accommodates bandwidth requirements for e-government interactions that take the form of government-to-government (G2G), government-to-employee (G2E), government-to-citizen (G2C), and government-to-business (G2B) exchanges (Carter & Belanger, 2004). This chapter delineates the distinctive attributes of DWDM technology and the capabilities of DWDM in providing the capacity necessary for supporting e-government services that are responsive to citizen requirements. Metropolitan area and wider area e-government initiatives that utilize DWDM technology are described. Finally, considerations leading to effective utilization of this technology in supporting public-sector services are explored.