Light core and intelligent edge for a flexible, thin-layered, and cost-effective optical transport network

We present a new optics-based transport architecture that emulates fast switching in the network core via emerging fast tunable lasers at the network edge, and bypasses the need for fast optical switching and buffering. The new architecture is capable of handling both asynchronous and synchronous traffic, for dealing with various bandwidth granularities and responding to dynamic changes in end-to-end traffic demands. The architecture also reduces the amount of layering in the transport network by eliminating packet and TDM switching, keeps the network core light (lightweight and transparent), and pushes intelligence to the network edge. We discuss technical challenges that arise in the new architecture and describe possible approaches to address them.