Light-Mesh - A Pragmatic Optical Access Network Architecture for IP-Centric Service Oriented Communication

Contemporary deployments of optical access networks are based on the principles of Passive Optical Networks (PONs). PONs deploy a star topology and dual wavelength for communication between the center and ends of a star. The star topology requires that each end-user be connected to the star splitter (usually a passive coupler). The authors argue in this paper that while adhering to the requirements of access networks, they are able to provide a better topological solution in terms of the cost-factor and the ability to upgrade to a greater bandwidth. This solution, called a light-mesh, is based on the concept of pragmatic optical packet transport or light-frames results in a unique node architecture, interconnection matrix, and communication protocols.