Page 220 - Optical Switching And Networking Handbook

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High-Speed Applications 205

Figure 8-16
School District
Communities of
interest are Park and Recreation
emerging (3Com)
Public Utilities

Residential

Human Services Department
City Hall
Data Center
Libraries

City Correctional Facility
(or Courthouse)

Hospital, Clinics
Police and Fire Departments
Source: 3Com

Applications for DWDM

As with many new technologies, the potential for DWDM is still in
its infancy. However, the technology already has proven to be partic-
ularly well suited for several vital applications. DWDM is ready-
made for long-distance telecommunications operators that use either
point-to-point or ring topology. The sudden availability of many new
transmission channels as opposed to only one increases a carrier’s
ability to expand capacity and simultaneously set aside backup
bandwidth without installing new fiber.
The huge capacity afforded by DWDM is critical to the develop-
ment of self-healing rings, which is characteristic of most sophisti-
cated telecom networks. By deploying DWDM terminals, an operator
can construct a 100 percent protected 40-Gbps ring with multiple
communications signals using only two fibers.