The all-optical networks

Summary form only given. The all-optical net-work is the core of the information superhighway. The paper covers four areas of all-optical networks. They are optical networking technologies, optical network architectures, network applications, and network management systems. The most recent technological advancements include a 1.6 Tbit/s WDM transmission experiment and 160 Gbit/s TDM demonstration. The technology that enables large optical cross-connects is presented too. For optical networking architecture, the author envisions an all-optical network from the access to the core, with digital wrapper as the key networking enabler. Finally, the author summarizes all-optical network applications and the unified network management systems for all-optical networks