Analysis and dimensioning of a single-layer optical network based on a "switchless" concept in relevant scenarios

The "switchless" all-optical network is an alternative networking approach, developed in the framework of the ACTS project named SONATA (Switchless Optical Network for Advanced Transport Network), which aims to provide a future single-layer, advanced transport architecture on a national scale. The single-hop, shared-access network employs time and wavelength agility, using fast tunable transmitters and receivers. The dimensioning of this type of network is one of the main tasks for the design of the network, which serves a certain number of customers, connected together by means of Passive Optical Networks (PONs). This paper reports an analytical model which allows network dimensioning, according to relevant design parameters: number of customers per PON, number of PONs, offered traffic per single user (residential or business), number of total wavelength converters, and the required system performance expressed in terms of blocking probability.