Nortel Enhances ROADM Functionality

Nortel introduced at SUPERCOMM an enhanced version of its ROADM, which was added to the company’s optical platform last summer.

“For us, this is the real release of our ROADM,” says Philippe Morin, Nortel’s general manager of optical networks.

ROADMs support remote dynamic network reconfiguration on a per-wavelength basis without the need for a truck roll. They are designed to eliminate optical-electronic regeneration for pass-through wavelengths typical of first-generation DWDM systems and restriction of fixed optical ADMs, such as wavelength stranding, per-wavelength engineering and jumper cabling to interconnect filter packs, transponders and line interfaces.

Like its predecessor, Nortel’s eROADM is a functional module included in its 40gbps ready Common Photonic Layer (CPL) platform. Instead of wavelength blocker technology, the newer version now uses a Wavelength Selective Switch to enable all-optical switching and redirection of a wavelength to up to five different rings in a network.

“It’s completely ‘colorless,’” says Morin, explaining that this means it can do branching or effect mesh networks.

Morin says that one of the downsides of switching waves is that the dispersion limits of the lasers can be reached. To address this, Nortel also is adding electronic Dynamically Compensating Optics (eDCO) to the ROADM. The eDCO dynamically adjusts the modulation of individual wavelengths when they are redirected to a new path, over a different fiber type, or over a longer distance. In addition, eDCO enables fiber spans of up to 2,000 kilometers as well as tunable lasers for reduced sparing requirements.

“Until you have the capability to dynamically compensate for dispersion, you can’t really deploy a ROADM network,” says Morin.

Both of these new features are supported by the Domain Optical Controller (DOC), an end-to-end intelligent provisioning and management software platform, which was enhanced to manage the new elements.

Nortel estimates that its new features can result in operational savings of up to 55 percent for service providers.

eROADM is under controlled release and is in trials with unnamed service providers. It will be generally available in October, Morin says.

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