Telecommunications network having shared protect capacity architecture

Abstract

An optical communications network configured in a shared protect capacity architecture. The network includes a plurality of shared and unshared nodes; a plurality of working lines connecting the plurality of nodes to form a ring that shares two or more nodes with another ring; a shared protect fiber optic line connecting the two shared nodes; and a plurality of protect lines connecting the plurality of unshared nodes which are connected by the plurality of working lines. By optically coupling a first Add-Drop Multiplexer of a first shared node to a first port of an optical cross connect using a first connecting path; optically coupling a second Add-Drop Multiplexer of the first shared node to a second port of the optical cross connect using a second connecting path; and optically coupling a third port of the Optical Cross Connect to a second shared node through a shared protect path, both rings may use the shared protect path to re-route traffic therethrough in the event that one of the rings has a break which severs the working and protect lines which couple two of the nodes thereof. The reduction in the quantity of protect lines, hence the fiber, and the equipment resulting in the associated cost savings are transparent to bit or baud rate, type of optical fiber, and signal format.