Broadening the scope of optical circuit networks

Advances in optical communications and switching technologies are enabling energy-efficient, flexible, higher-utilization network operations. To take full advantage of these capabilities, the scope of optical circuit networks can be increased in both the vertical and horizontal directions. In the vertical direction, some of the existing Internet applications, transport-layer protocols, and application-programming interfaces need to be redesigned and new ones invented to leverage the high-bandwidth, low-latency capabilities of optical circuit networks. In the horizontal direction, inter-domain control and management-protocols are required to create a global-scale interconnection of optical circuit-switched networks.