Driving optical network scale

What are the enabling roles of optical networks?  

Optical networks provide the most scalable and economical means of transferring massive amounts of data over large distances – between data centers; across neighborhoods, cities and countries; and between continents.    

No matter the access method used – radio or microwave signal, copper or coax cable, or fiber optics –  user data must reach its ultimate destination, and optical networks provide the connectivity to achieve this without constraints on bandwidth or distance.

What challenges do network operators face?

New and emerging applications that require more and more bandwidth, such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, and virtual and augmented reality experiences (VR/AR) are driving the need for further massive scaling of network capacity over the next decade.    

This need for further scaling must accommodate new technologies that will continue to drive cost-effective increases in network capacity, and also provide meaningful solutions that reduce network complexity, simplify operations, and facilitate service delivery.  

The next phase of optical network scaling requires a focus on differentiated technology innovation, including capacity scaling of coherent optics and Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) spectrum, complemented by optical network automation to simplify network operations, and new architectures to help network operators efficiently deploy continued increases in network capacity.

Bits

Optical networks transmit high-speed data flows over multiple wavelengths, with the objective of delivering more scale by transmitting data at ever-greater speeds, and over ever-longer distances. Whether measured as bits per second (b/s), spectral efficiency (b/s/Hz), or capacity-reach (b/s-km), transmission speeds have seen massive scaling through the introduction and refinement of coherent optics technology. This has led to exponential increases in wavelength speeds from 40Gb/s to 800Gb/s, and has increased all-optical transmission reach from hundreds of kilometers to tens of thousands of kilometers. Nokia's latest generation of super-coherent optics, the PSE-6s, drives wavelength speeds to 1.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) and ushers in new frontiers in network scale, performance and sustainability.

Spectrum

WDM technology allows the transmission of multiple data streams in parallel, across many individual wavelengths of light, spread across the optical fiber transmission spectrum.  This has enabled network operators to massively scale their network bandwidth, while amortizing the high cost of deploying optical fiber over many channels and corresponding revenue streams. While WDM optical line systems a decade ago typically supported 40 to 80 wavelengths in the C-band spectrum, many of today’s optical networks operate over the C and L bands, more than doubling the total fiber spectrum and its data-carrying capacity.  Future innovations in fiber and cable technology will further increase total network capacity.

Leveraging these technological innovations to drive continuous reductions in “cost per bit” or “power per bit” has led to increased adoption of networked applications in all aspects of daily life and business.    

Nokia has enabled massive scaling of optical networks through a focused investment across these key solutions areas. Learn more about Nokia’s solutions for enabling scaling of today’s networks

Optical network automation

In order to scale networks efficiently, network operators must also reduce network complexity, simplify operations, and deploy new services.  By leveraging Bell Labs research in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), network operators can deploy customizable automation applications supporting a wide range of optical network use cases. They can also automate optical network analytics and monitoring, engage corrective actions and reconfiguration, or accelerate and simplify service creation and activation.  

New architectures

Evolving network architectures can provide lower TCO for network operators in existing and greenfield networks. These include the adoption of open optical network platforms and standardized, model-driven interfaces, as well as simpler, more efficient converged IP-optical network architectures. These new architectures enable differentiated features and deliver value across all types of applications and services, business models, and network scope.

Optical network automation, open optical networking and new network architectures can help network operators scale their networks while reducing TCO through simpler networks.  Learn more about Nokia’s solutions for simplifying future networks.

Enabling Scale made simple

At Nokia, our ability to scale and simplify networks is made possible by our unique capability to serve the wide range of network applications and network operator types, however large or small. Our broad range of professional services provides the support of our experienced teams to help our customers implement efficient networks with global scale.    

Visit our Optical Networks portfolio page to discover how to enable efficiently scale your network from edge to core, while simplifying network operations and architectures.  Spanning market-leading and application-optimized solutions for coherent optics, WDM line systems, and P-OTN platforms, complemented by network automation capabilities, we provide the tools needed to allow your networks to support the surging demand of always-on connectivity and ever-more bandwidth-intensive applications.