ANALYSIS & OPINION: SOFTWARE & SERVICES


FIELD OF DREAMS


Putting software-driven, real-time optical layer performance awareness to the test


MATTIAS FRIDSTRÖM AND PARTHIBAN KANDAPPAN


RESEARCHERS CONTINUE TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF HARDWARE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, WITH SINGLE-WAVELENGTH TRANSMISSION CAPACITY NOW REACHING AN ASTONISHING 800GB/S


22 FiBRE SYSTEMS n Issue 25 n Autumn 2019


A


t its core, the digital revolution permeating every nook and cranny of our lives is fuelled by one thing only – innovation in connectivity


technologies. Whether you are accessing a critical SAP


application from your office, standing on a street requesting a Lyſt, binging on a new Netlix series at Starbucks, or siting on a couch at home with a gaming controller, you are dependent on fast access to graphic processors in data centres thousands of miles away for every click, with a high-quality and uninterrupted connection critical to user experience. Capacity is the raw fuel that drives that


experience, and the seemingly insatiable demand for high-capacity connectivity shows no sign of abating. Te result is growing pressure on the fibre optic backbone networks of service providers and internet content providers alike. Innovation in optical layer connectivity has


traditionally been the domain of physics and hardware devices, such as lasers that enable the transmission of photons over fibre optic channels. Researchers continue to push the boundaries of hardware-based communications


www.fibre-systems.com @fibresystemsmag


technology, with single-wavelength transmission capacity now reaching an astonishing 800Gb/s.


Testing times Recently, however, advances in optical layer soſtware intelligence and automation are providing new tools to extract maximum value from physical fibre assets, while enhancing end-user services. Leveraging machine learning


Figure 1: Assessing real-time performance awareness on a 1,300km production network route


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Infinera


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