Optical network element for transmitting and/or receiving wdm signals

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical network element () comprising a wavelength selective switch, WSS, () with one or more input ports, a working output port () and a separate protecting output port (), the WSS () being configurable to a working configuration, in which one or more channels are routed from said one or more input ports to the working output port (), and being configurable to a protecting configuration, in which said one or more channels or a subset thereof are routed from said one or more input ports to the protecting output port (), or with a working input port () and a protecting input port () and with one or more output ports, the WSS () being configurable to a working configuration, in which one or more channels are routed from the working input () port to the one or more output ports, and being configurable to a protecting configuration, in which one or more channels are routed from the protecting input port () to the one or more output ports, a computer readable medium including program code defining configuration information, a control unit configured to control the WSS () to adopt the working configuration or the protecting configuration based on the predefined configuration information.