Link design: A forgotten art?

The recent development of coherent detection associated with digital signal processing is now coming to the market introducing a new generation of systems: this will bring a completely new approach in optical link design. While dispersion management was a key technique to optimize performance of optical systems and PMD was a key constraints limiting the symbol rate increase, it could seem that for future coherent systems link design will be much simpler. Moreover, the potential of signal processing could allow to believe that all design challenges are now in the receiver. Nevertheless, the cohabitation of transmission technologies relying on dispersion management (mainly 10 Gb/s) with coherent systems, the development of reconfigurable and dynamic networks, the need of restoration and the introduction of more automation in the network management could make link design even more challenging in the coming years. The workshop will start with contributions from academic professors discussing main changes introduced by coherent detection highlighting opportunities and problems. Then system suppliers will describes how link design has evolved and their views of what will happen introducing coherent systems in the network. Eventually, operators will share their perspectives describing how they manage their networks and why various new technologies (such as ROADM, GMPLS, restoration, etc.) could push the need for a simplified link design. The aim of the workshop is to have a technical discussion and as such, contributions will be welcome during the workshop: speakers can produce up to 3 slides to highlight the issue they wish to discuss.