Addressing Capacity Scaling and Programmability in Future Optical Networks

The increasing demand on data and connectivity is driving the development of new approaches capable of meeting the stringent requirements of future optical networks, in terms of high capacity, bandwidth and energy-efficiency. In this work, the challenges of adopting multi-band (MB) and space division multiplexing (SDM) technologies to enhance capacity and efficiency in optical networks are addressed. Innovative transceiver and switching options are discussed with special focus on flexibility and programmability towards integration with a software defined networking (SDN) control plane.