Analysis and dimensioning of switchless networks for single-layer optical architecture

The "switchless" all-optical network is an alternative networking approach being developed in the framework of the ACTS project named SONATA, which ai ms to provide a future single layer, advanced transport architecture on a n ational scale. The single hop, shared access network employs time and wavel ength agility (a WDMA/TDMA scheme), using fast tunable transmitters and rec eivers, to set up individual customer connections through a single waveleng th router (suitably replicated for resilience), The dimensioning of this ty pe of network is one of the main tasks for the design of networks serving a certain number of customers, connected together by means of passive optica l networks (PON's), This paper reports an analytical model which allows the network dimensioning according to some relevant design parameters: the num ber of customers per PON, the number of PON's, the offered traffic per sing le user (either considering residential or business user), and the required system performance expressed in terms of blocking probability, Furthermore , relevant issues related to the dimensioning of switchless networks are di scussed and some results achieved for relevant network scenarios are report ed, to assess the feasibility of the system concept.