Abstract
Based on a variety of long-term network traffic data from different
geographies and applications, in addition to long-term scaling trends of
key information and communication technologies, we identify fundamental
scaling disparities between the technologies used to generate and process
data and those used to transport data. These disparities could lead to the
data transport network falling behind its required capabilities by a
factor of approximately 4 every five years. By 2024, we predict the need
for 10-Tb/s optical interfaces working in 1-Pb/s optical transport
systems. To satisfy these needs, multiplexing in both wavelength and space
in the form of a wavelength-division multiplexing × space-division
multiplexing matrix will be required. We estimate the characteristics of
such systems and outline their target specifications, which reveals the
need for very significant research progress in multiple areas, from system
and network architectures to digital signal processing to integrated
arrayed device designs, in order to avoid an optical network capacity
crunch.
© 2017 IEEE
PDF Article
More Like This
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription