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Principal Sponsors:
 | Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Testing |
Definition and Overview
Definition
At its simplest, a dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) system can be viewed as a parallel set of optical channels, each using a slightly different light wavelength, but all sharing a single transmission medium. This new technical solution can increase the capacity of existing networks without the need for expensive recabling and can significantly reduce the cost of network upgrades.
Overview
DWDM systems offer an attractive, cost-effective way for the telecommunications industry to expand network bandwidth. This new technology allows telecom operators to meet ever-growing requirements for new services and have greater flexibility in the provisioning of these services. By allowing fiber-optic links, both existing and new, to carry several channels simultaneously, dense WDM makes optimum use of facilities, easily reaching transmission capabilities four to eight times those of traditional time division multiplexed (TDM) systems and offering even greater potential capacities.
The planning, installation, and maintenance of DWDM networks demand that much closer attention be paid to a number of limiting performance parameters than has been the case until now (see Figure 1). This tutorial discusses these parameters as well as other factors involved in field testing DWDM systems.
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