Optical evolution


The hype would have you believe that everything but your desk lamp is connected to a high-speed fiber optic network. In reality, your desk lamp may be the closest thing to being connected to an optical network.

While the hype may be far ahead of the reality, telephone carriers are quickly moving to more and more optical components for their networks.

“One of the things driving this technology is the explosive growth of the Internet,” says Bob Near, senior manager of technical marketing for Sirocco Systems, an optical networking solutions provider. “In the last 24 hours, it’s estimated that 3,870,000 Web pages were added, along with 871,000 images. And this happens every 24 hours.

“The old phone system is optimized to move 64-kilobit voice packets. We’re talking about economies of scale that are much larger, causing the need for a new network.”

As a result, phone companies are upgrading their systems with new components that are faster, more efficient and take up less space. These hybrid parts are tying together the fiber optic nerve centers that are the heart of the phone company networks to the old-line electronic components that we use every day.

“Remember that the people that the carriers provide services to live in an electronic world,” says Near. “All their devices are electronic, not optical, and there is billions of dollars of infrastructure deployed that is not optical. The networks and builders want to build optical components, but are mired in the reality of an electronic world.”

Manufacturers like Sirocco are working on solutions that can link the new technology with the old, while still providing the needed speed and capacity upgrades.

Under the old system, bandwidth is very restricted on how it is used. It is basically divided into a time slot, much like a train is divided into cars. If company A owns a car on the bandwidth rails but isn’t riding on it, no one else can ride on it, either. With the new technology, companies will be able to sell these unused portions of bandwidth to those who need them.

With the newer components installed on the networks, upgrade requests from companies that used to take months — as every component was upgraded — will only take minutes.

What this means for you as a business owner in the long run is:

Faster service for Internet connections at a cheaper price, and not just for DSL access. “If you are a large business customer, you might get a light wave dropped off at your building,” says Near. “You’ll get the fiber optic signal right in your basement. At this time, it would have to be a big customer, but you could see it happening.”

More control over bandwidth. “What if your business is at one level of bandwidth need today, but what if at peak times, say for an hour, you need two to three times your normal bandwidth?” says Near. “You’ll be able to buy the extra service that was required to accommodate the peak. You are starting to see a change with this now with tolls called customer network management.

“You’ll have a terminal or software that will dynamically request an increase in capacity. When you’re done with it, it will throttle you back to your normal level.” How to reach: Sirocco, www.siroccosystems.com

Todd Shryock ([email protected]) is SBN’s special reports editor.