Electrical v/s optical aggregation in multi-layer optical transport networks

With optical technology evolution, it becomes possible to perform all optical traffic grooming (AOTG) with a very fine granularity. In the context of flexible optical networking, AOTG paves the way to new possibilities in future transport networks. Finding the best trade-off between electrical and optical aggregation in intrinsically multi-layer transport networks is a complex challenge for operators. This paper compares CAPEX results and resource fill-in performances of electrical and optical aggregation solutions, through a real multilayer transport network case study.