Optical Virtual Private Networks: Applications, Functionality and Implementation

Abstract

Today's economic environment presents special challenges for telecommunication carriers—finding new ways to drive down network costs i, without limiting future growth opportunities. Minimizing operating expenses and capital expenditures is not sufficient to ensure future prosperity. New, value-added services can help carriers increase their revenues and profits—today. Virtual private networks (VPNs), both data (IP & MPLS) and optical, fit the description of value-added services. VPN services have received ample attention over the last few years as they are viewed by carriers as an attractive value added service and by customers as a cost effective replacement of leased private lines. VPNs can also help carriers reduce their costs—both capital and operational—by supporting multiple customers, each allowed with varying levels of network control and management over the same (shared) infrastructure. Optical virtual private networks (O-VPNs) represent the next step in the evolution of VPNs and provide similar underlying benefits as other VPN technologies to carriers. Although both carriers and vendors have been talking about O-VPNs for years, the first commercially viable solutions started becoming available in early 2002 [1]. O-VPNs provide carriers with new revenue opportunities as well as the potential to reduce their operating and capital costs. Additionally, O-VPNs offer carrier-customers several benefits, including lower networking costs, increased network flexibility and control, and improved network operational efficiency.