Switched Lightpaths for e-Health Applications: Issues and Challenges

The Exploitation of Switched Lightpaths for e-Science Applications (ESLEA) project is evaluating the feasibility of using switched lightpath networks to support various e-Science applications. This feasibility is being investigated via case studies, one of which pertains to the use of such networks to support distributed healthcare research and delivery. In this paper we consider some of the issues associated with the use of switched lightpath networks in this context. Despite the fact that much of the discussion is necessarily focused on the situation in the UK, many of the issues will be relevant to the wider community.