From IP over WDM to all-optical packet switching: economical view

In this paper, a technoeconomical study of several (optical) packet-switching node architectures is described. Therefore, different architectures proposed in IST-WASPNET and IST-LASAGNE projects as well as a standard optical circuit switching approach are considered, and their economical impact is estimated by means of cost comparisons between the different technologies. The switching architectures all use optical fiber as a transport medium, but each of them uses a different technology to process switching. Their cost is evaluated as a function of most characteristic parameters for each technology. In the all-optical approaches, the main cost is that related to the fiber assembly, whereas for electronic processing, the most expensive cost is related to the optical-electronic-optical (OEO) conversions. The results show that the integration of optical components is crucial to make all-optical packet-switching nodes feasible.