Enabling transparent lambda services between metro and core networks

Abstract

Transparent end-to-end lambda services represent a highly desirable technology for both enabling bandwidth-greedy applications and reducing the telecommunication network capital and operational expenditures. However current network architectures, organized over different segments based on different technologies, are not tailored to efficiently provide end-to-end lambda services. This paper proposes a solution allowing optical bypass of the edge between the metro and the core segments. The proposed solution enables end-users belonging to different metro networks to directly communicate by establishing a lambda service traversing a common GMPLS-based core network. This paper details the lambda service setup mechanism, integrating access, metro and core segments, and the architecture of the metro-core edge node. Simulation results show that the proposed optical bypass of the metro-core edge is capable of providing high bandwidth end-to-end lambda services and reduces the utilization of expensive and power-hungry OEO interfaces without impacting network throughput.