Extension of classical rearrangeable and non-blocking networks to the wavelength dimension

The concept of rearrangeable, strict-sense and wide-sense non-blocking space division networks is extended to the wavelength dimension, resulting in a new family of interconnection networks called wavelength-space division switches (WSDS). A synergy is achieved by utilizing both the wavelength and space dimensions in a fully dynamic manner. This results in higher capacity, higher connectivity and reduced complexity than is possible using either the wavelength or space dimension. The complexity and wavelength assignment algorithms in these networks are discussed, together with some examples