The Multi-Layer Transport Network Opportunity

Service providers survived the challenge of bandwidth growth in the face of constrained capex over the last decade, and they will continue to do so. The key ingredient for success is the continued willingness of these companies to adopt new vendors, equipment, and network architectures that keep dropping the cost per bit per kilometer in their networks while adding the features and services customers demand. Technologies like metro ROADM in the 2000s and coherent WDM today are good examples; IPoDWDM is not.

The next step is a move to widespread multi-layer networking built on an intelligent optical transport mesh. At first this requires an OTN switching architecture with integrated WDM and multi-layer planning and control software, referred here as IPoOTN. We expect this to evolve to one that requires OTN and MPLS switching in the same equipment, ultimately unifying the transport layer in a single hardware element capable of OSI layers 0-2. This layer would serve the transport needs of more expensive and scarce routers performing high value packet processing and delivering the required service intelligence at the edge of the network.