Architecting the services optical network

In this new millennium, the most valuable commodity will be information, as seen by the surge in demand for faster access technologies such as cable m odems, xDSL, and wireless data. The tremendous growth in data traffic, part icularly that associated with the Internet, is changing the way it is carri ed over public and private networks. Together with the rapid advances in op tical networking technology and the spawning of a new category of wavelengt h services stimulated by new high-speed data requirements, this is dramatic ally changing network architectures and the relationship between network se rvice providers and their customers. Incumbent carrier globalization and ne w carrier entry require support for a broader set of business models and ra nge of service interfaces. The growth and expansion of networks imply a gre ater need for more scalable solutions and more automation for network maint enance. An intelligent optical core optimized for service optical networkin g, the services optical network, needs to take the best aspects of both the transport and data networking domains to meet the above needs. This articl e focuses on architecting the services optical network to meet the challeng es of optical data networking, and includes a snapshot of supporting standa rdization activities.