All-optical packet switching for metropolitan area networks: Opportunitiesand challenges

The fast evolution of networks has been continuously driven by new advances in enabling technologies, as well as the growth of Internet traffic. All-o ptical packet switching provides high throughput, rich routing functionalit ies, and excellent flexibility. These characteristics make it an excellent candidate for next-generation metropolitan area networks, which will be muc h more dynamic and demanding than today's networks. In this article we not only discuss some of the architectural challenges involved in the design of all-optical packet switched networks, but also present the reader a high-l evel picture of how such future networks could be integrated with other net work segments, to provide users end-to-end connectivity with performance an d simplicity.