Adaptive Link-by-Link Band Allocation: A Novel Adaptation Scheme in Multi-Band Optical Networks

Abstract

Multi-band optical networking is a viable solution to deal with ever-increasing traffic demands using existing fiber infrastructure. To unleash the full potential of such a solution, available spectrum resources must be efficiently utilized in consideration of the attainable transmission quality and margin. In this paper, we propose a novel optical-layer adaptation scheme for low-margin multi-band optical networking. With our scheme, the transmission bands can be adapted link-by-link in consideration of transmission quality, which can efficiently reduce margins and improve network performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed adaptation scheme enables a significant increase in the traffic volume that can be accommodated.