Routing strategies for optical paths in WDM networks

Abstract

Future optical networks will be operated with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). Three different routing strategies for optical paths are presented here to perform allocation of resources (wavelengths) in WDM optical networks. Resource allocation has been studied with two different approaches, based respectively on wavelength routing and wavelength translation schemes. The implications of these routing strategies on WDM network dimensioning are explained and the results are illustrated on a European Optical Network test-case showing a major reduction of the number of needed fibres and pointing out the interest of wavelength translation.