Multiservice optical network: main concepts and first achievementsof the ROM program

With the tremendous introduction of internet protocol (IP) applications, the quality-of-service (QoS) becomes more and more an emergent issue. Concrete solutions can be adopted (IP/ATM/SONET/WDM) opening the way to new types of applications (interactive applications through the exploitation of voice and video) in a short-term approach. However, all the telecommunication community tries to provide new solutions offering capacity and flexibility in a simpler manner. In this paper, we present the concepts of a multiservice optical network studied in the framework of a French Research Program. The QoS could be offered through the combined exploitation of electronic memories in the edges and optical resources in the core of the optical network and through the coexistence of different types of connections. In particular, the traffic shaping in the edges is highlighted through simulation and demonstrates the real impact of this function to maintain the logical performance at its highest level. To propose concrete solutions for its implementation, two network scenarios are proposed. The first one, for the backbone, exhibits a novel optical packet switching architecture taking benefit of the massive presence of wavelengths to solve the contention. The second one, for the metro, shows a second optical packet switching architecture really adapted to the cost constraints (upgradability, compactness, granularity)