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Photonic multiple-access networks: Routing and multiplexing

Lightwave technology is well-established for long-haul and point-to-point applications, but current research is looking at ways to extend it to multiple-access computer networks and the distribution plant. How do we interconnect more than 100 users at data rates above 1Gb/s? What novel optoelectronic components are needed to realize the photonic networks of the future? We answer these questions here and in another paper in this issue. The companion paper discusses the constraints that photonic components impose on topologies for multiple-access networks.1 Here, we examine how the unique properties of photonic components can be exploited to realize novel routing and multiplexing functions. We show that specific applications and types of traffic carried will determine the configurations of future photonic networks. We conclude that ambitious photonic solutions will compete strongly with electronic approaches.