Level 3 Communications, LLC

Laurel Clark

Andrew Dugan

Clyde David Cooper, Iii

Benjamin K Peterson

An optical network including a plurality of gateway nodes interconnected with a plurality of intermediate nodes with segments of fiber. The network includes a plurality of devices, such as reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers, optimally placed at various nodes throughout the network. The device placement is optimized with an integer linear programming analysis considering span definition such that any given span involves some number of segments not exceeding a number of segments that would require wavelength regeneration, cost of placement of a device at a given node, cost of wavelength regeneration, and various parameters and constraints.

Wavelength regeneration in a network

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for a configurable optical peering fabric to dynamically create a connection between participant sites without any physical site limitations or necessity of specialized client and network provider equipment being located within such a facility. Client sites to a network may connect to a configurable switching element to be interconnected to other client sites in response to a request to connect the first client site with a second site, also connected to network, via the switching element. A request may trigger verification of the requested and, upon validation, transmission of an instruction to the switching element to enable the cross connect within the switching element. The first site and the second site may thus be interconnected via the switching element in response to the request, without the need to co-locate equipment or to manually install a jumper between client equipment.

Dynamic optical switching in a telecommunications network

An optical network including a plurality of gateway nodes interconnected with a plurality of intermediate nodes with segments of fiber. The network includes a plurality of devices, such as reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexors, optimally placed at various nodes throughout the network. The device placement is optimized with an integer linear programming analysis considering span definition such that any given span involves some number of segments not exceeding a number of segments that would require wavelength regeneration, cost of placement of a device at a given node, cost of wavelength regeneration, and various parameters and constraints.

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Laurel Clark