AT THE SPEED OF IDEAS

Dense Wavelength Division

Multiplexing
(DWDM)

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 1

Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Optical Transmission

3. Comparison between DWDM and TDM

4. DWDM Components

5. DWDM Networks

6. Transmission Quality Parameters

7. ALU DWDM solutions

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 2

 Introduction

This presentation will briefly discuss Dense Wavelength Division

Multiplexing (DWDM) as a means of achieving effective fibre-optic transmission.

Noise/Interference

S
o S
Data Communication Data i
u Encoder Decoder
r Channel n
c k
e

Attenuation

Multiplexing is the process of combining two or more signals together based

on space, time or wavelength division in order to increase the amount of information
transmissible over a single communication channel per time.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 3

Optical Transmission

Optical transmission involves the sending of binary signals in form of light

pulses over an optical channel (fibre) so that they can be decoded and
demodulated at the receiving end.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 4

DWDM
is a multiplexing technique of the fibre-optic transmission system that is
used to increase the BW of an optical fibre such that several different signals can
be transported simultaneously on the fibre.

SDH data stream + Ethernet data stream (without interference)

DWDM Offers:
40Gbit/s,
Transparency... .ATM, SDH, ESCON, GE, etc. 100Gbit/s
Scalability . MAN, P-to-P, Rings, Meshes, etc.
Dynamic Provisioning High BW services in days rather than months

DWDM is coupled at 193.1THz (ITU-T) and it is on the 1st layer of the

architecture so, it can accommodate ATM, SONET/SDH, ESCON, IP, etc.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 5

 LASER to MUX to TRASNMISSION COMPONENTS to DEMUX to RECEIVERS

The Tx components include optical switches, amplifiers, fibre-optic

cable, couplers, etc.

Combining Transmission on Separating

Signals fibre Signals

n+n+n+n

DWDM Representation

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 6

ITU specifies 6 Tx bands for fibre-optic transmission:

O 1260 1310 nm
E 1360 1460 nm
S 1460 1530 nm There is an
C 1530 1565 nm undefined 7th
L 1560 1625 nm band: 850nm
U 1625 1675 nm region

Optical transmission incorporates digital processing technique with optical

transmission consequently, error can be detected and corrected.

For example, FEC allows errors and optical impairments which may be
introduced by NEs such as DXC and OADMS to be corrected.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 7

 Also, dispersions which often occur can be easily rectified using DCUs while
the inherent losses associated with this system of transmission are counterbalanced
by applying optical amplifiers at specific points along the transmission line. And, it is
not susceptible to EMI.

Apart from the bandwidth multiplicity advantage, optical transmission also

provides link and ring protection to its deployers thereby, ensuring reliable business
continuity.

Again, theres no risk of getting shocked and installers do not have to wear
special protective attires.

However, theres a need to be careful of the laser radiation. The beam of

the laser radiation unit must not be directly observed.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 8

 THE FIBRE-OPTIC CABLE

is a thin strand of glass or plastic that serves as the DWDM transmission

medium. It consists of the section that carries the signal and the part that protects it
from environmental and mechanical damage.

n2 Cladding

n1 Core

Fibre types based on manufacturing material can be:

Glass Fibre
Plastic-clad Silica (PCS)
Plastic

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 9

 Light is transmitted through fibre in guided modes i.e. TEmn and TMmn.
TE refers to transverse electric field while TM refers to the transverse magnetic field.
Hence, we have TE01 TE10 TM01 TM10 modes.

In DWDM, the fibre modes used are the single and multi-modes. However,
the single mode is preferred by transmission deployers due to the multiplied effects
of scattering and absorption on the multi-mode fibre.
During the manufacturing process, all impurities cannot be removed from
the material. These residual impurities are therefore responsible for the inherent
attenuation characteristic of the fibre-optic cable. The other resultant effect of
scattering and absorption is modal dispersion.

. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
Scattering
Absorption
By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 10
DISPERSION & ATTENUATION

Dispersion and Attenuation occur in fibre-optic transmission using DWDM

and these influence the quality of light signal transmitted along the line. Since both
problems are inherent in this transmission system, adequate solution must be
provided. This may be in form of dispersion compensating devices.
Due to dispersion, clarity is reduced with distance and speed and the light
waves tend to scatter.

Due to attenuation, power levels are reduced with distance.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 11

PATCH CORDS & COUPLERS

Patch cords are small fibre optic cables of narrow diameters used to
connect the terminal points of one equipment to another on the distribution
frame. They are also used to connect to test devices when troubleshooting or
measuring power levels of optical signals.

Generally, fibre optic cables can

either be single mode or multimode. As such,
patch cords come in both SMF and MMF types.
But SMF is mostly used due to its smaller
diameter which in turn reduces the modal
dispersion.

In MMF, modal dispersion occurs

because the rays of light entering at one end
of the fibre do not all arrive at the other end at
the same time.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 12

 Patch cords could also be classified based on their type of end connectors. For
example, we have FC, LC, MU, SC, ST, MT-RJ, etc.

SC FC

MT-RJ

SMA

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 13

COUPLERS

Couplers are fibre-optic materials used to join one patch cord to another or
to extend connections from one patch panel to another. They are often employed
during ADM installation to fix patch cords to the trays. This allows for neat and orderly
arrangement in the trays.

When the two end connectors of a patch cord are of the same type, it is
called a coupler.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 14

TEST KITS & EQUIPMENT

During and after fibre-optic transmission installation, there is a critical need

to perform certain tests to ensure proper functionality of the equipment before
provisioning can be allowed.
The test kits and equipment for DWDM but are not limited to:
Fiberscope
Cleaners and cleaning set
Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OTDR)
Gigabit Ethernet Tester
Splicing & Labelling Machines
Crimping tools, screw drivers, tapes, etc, are used during installation.

GB TESTER
MTS8000 MTS6000

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 15

 Cleaning set (pads & swabs) Gigabit Analyzer
Cleaning spray

OLS
OLP OLA

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 16

DWDM Vs TDM

DWDM TDM

Increase the number of wavelengths Increase the bit rate

Can handle 40Gbps and above. The At 40Gbps, severe technical issues
specific limits of this technology are occur. PMD and CMD are the most
still unknown. common ones.

All signals arrive at the same time To increase capacity, time must be
rather than being broken up and sliced into smaller intervals so that
carried in time slots. the bits from multiple sources can
carried on the link

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 17

Incoming Outgoing
Streams Streams

with bit with bit rate

rate of of

2.5Gbps 4 X 2.5Gbps

In TDM, a particular data stream is assigned a time slot with other data
streams and the allotted time slots repeat over a given interval.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 18

DWDM Components
MUXES & DEMUXES

Multiplexers combine several laser signals of different wavelengths together

to produce a converged beam. Examples of this cards are BMDX 1000, BMDX 1100.

.
.
.

Multiplexers basically comprise lens and prisms which diffract the impinging
light rays and refocus them into a single beam. The reverse is the case for DEMUXES

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 19

 Demultiplexers perform the reverse function of multiplexers. They separate
the received multiplexed signals (originally combined into a beam by the MUX) into
their wavelength components and couple them into their individual fibres.

DEMUX

. . .
MUX/DEMUX alike are either passive or active. Passive designs are based
on prism, waveguide and filters while active designs are different from the passive
ones because they have tunable filters.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 20

TRANSPONDERS

Transponders convert energy from one form to another (e.g. electrical to

optical energy or vice versa). They accept input from different physical media and
protocols in various traffic formats and map them into wavelengths on the MUX.

Transponders perform the 3R functions of

retiming, reshaping & reamplification.

Examples of transponder cards in DWDM are

the TRBD and the TRBC cards.

Local and remote Loop backs are created on

the transponder cards to allow for troubleshooting
purposes. Consequently, faults in the transmission path
can be identified with the aid of test devices.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 21

AMPLIFIERS

are devices used to boost signal power after multiplexing and before
demultiplexing. Due to attenuation, there are limits to how long a fibre can
propagate a signal with integrity before it has to be regenerated. With the use of
optical amplifiers, this can be achieved. Examples are the ALU LOFA cards.

Post-Amplifiers: are placed directly

after the optical transmitter to
provide maximum output power.

In-Line Amplifiers: modify a small

input signal and boost it for
retransmission down the fibre.

Pre-Amplifiers: are placed prior to

the receiver so that much larger
signals can presented to it.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 22

EDFA: is an optical amplifier made out of erbium
material. Erbium is a rare-earth element which
when excited emits light around 1.54m and
this makes it suitable for usage in DWDM optical
amplifier manufacture. Other dopants used to
manufacture fibre amplifiers are Tellurite and
Thulium.

What happens in the EDFA?

When a weak signal enters the EDFA, light at 980nm or 1480nm is injected
using a laser pump held in place by a coupler and this stimulates the erbium atoms to
release their stored energy as additional 1550nm light. As this process continues down
the fibre, the signal grows stronger.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 23

OADMS

Oftentimes along the fibre span and due to access needs, the insertion or
removal of certain wavelengths becomes necessary. OADMs are DWDM equipment that
make this possible.

Though similar to the SDH ADMs, OADMs only add/drop optical signal and no
conversion from optical to electrical form occurs.

Fixed OADMs: are physically

configured to drop specific
wavelengths while adding others.

Reconfigurable ADMs: are

capable of dynamically selecting
which wavelengths are dropped
and added.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 24

DWDM Networks

DWDM Networks basically consists of the core (long haul), distribution

(MAN) and access networks.

Long Haul/Backbone/Core Network: are located at the core of global network

consisting of transnational and global carriers. It is the central part of a telecom
network that provides services to the customers through MANs.

BB or LH networks usually have mesh and/or ring topologies that provide

flexible connections between several devices (switches and routers). Examples of
technologies used at this network level are DWDM, SDH, ATM, IP, GBE, etc.

The BB primarily functions as:

operation & maintenance centre
user request authentication
call control/switching with number portability
service charge handling unit
service invocation such as call transfer or waiting
the gateway
By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 25
 DWDM Networks

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 26

Metropolitan Area Network/ Distribution Network: lies at a critical junction that has
many characteristics as the access networks e.g. protocols & channel speeds.
Like access networks, MANs have been traditionally SDH-based using point-
to-point or ring topologies with ADMs. But because it must meet the needs of the
ever-increasing bandwidth at LH network while addressing the growing connectivity
requirements at the access level, an efficient means of achieving simpler and faster
provisioning such as DWDM is of key importance.

Access Networks: are closest to the end users at the edge of the MAN. It is the part
of the telecoms network that connects subscribers to their immediate service
provider.
Access networks are characterised by diverse protocols and infrastructures
and span a broad spectrum of access rates.
customers range from residential internet users and individual service
subscribers to large corporations & institutions.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 27

TOPOLOGIES IN DWDM NETWORKS

Point-to-Point Topology: are characterised by ultra-high channel speeds (10 to

40Gbps), high signal integrity and reliability, and fast path restoration. It can be
implemented with or without an OADM. In LH networks, the distance between Tx and
Rx can be hundreds of Kilometres with about 10 amplifiers installed between the
endpoints.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 28

In Point-to-Point topology, protection can either be at system level where switchover
is the responsibility of the client equipment (e.g. router or switch) or at card level
where switching (in case of failure) is performed by the DWDM systems.

Ring Topology: allows several nodes to provide access to routers, switches or

servers by adding or dropping wavelengths on the optical channel. This topology can
be configured to support most forms of traffic, accommodate hub stations and one or
more OADMs. It is mostly found in the MANs and spans up to a few or ten of
kilometres. Bit rate is in the range of 622Mbps to 10Gbps/channel.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 29

 In ring topology, protection can either be Unidirectional Protection Switched
Ring (UPSR) where just two fibre pairs are used or Bidirectional Line Switched Ring (BLSR)
where up to 4 fibres may be used.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 30

 Mesh Topology: consists of interconnected optical nodes that are three or
more point-to-point connections linked together. It begins with point-to-point links
equipped with OADM nodes at the onset and subsequently interconnects them such
that the network evolves into a mesh without complete redesign.

It is expected that, in the near future, redundancy will migrate from system,
card and fibre levels to the wavelength level. When this happens, a data channel will
be able to change wavelength as it makes its way through the network because of a
fault.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 31

Tx Quality Parameters

OSNR

is the ratio of power in the signal to the noise that is with the signal. In
most cases, an OSNR of 10dB or better is needed for error-free operation.

OSNR= 10log(Ps/Pn)

Where: Ps is the signal power and Pn is the noise power.

Each in-line amplifier (repeater) gives some noise to the system. The
build-up of amplifier noise is therefore proportional to the number of amplifiers.
And as such, total accumulated noise equals the product of Noise per repeater
and the total number of repeaters.

Total Accumulated Noise = Noise of 1 repeater x Total No of repeaters

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 32

BER

is the ratio of error bits to the total transmitted bits. BER is a dimensionless
and the performance parameter is often expressed as percentage.

Bit synchronization problems and attenuation are factors affecting bit error rate but
it may be improved by ensuring that adequate error detection and correction
techniques are applied and signal strength is fairly strong.

1 1 0 0 1 0 1

Data streams of ones and zeroes

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 33

Q FACTOR

is a measure of how noisy a pulse is for diagnostic purposes. The higher the
Q-factor, the freer the pulse is from noise.

It is a dimensionless parameter that describes how under-damped a

resonator is or relative to the stored energy of the resonator. If the Q-factor of a
laser cavity is abruptly changed from a low value to a high one, the laser will emit a
pulse of light that is much more intense than the lasers normal continuous output.

Eye pattern shows the eye is as open as

possible and indicates that the data can be
recovered easily with low effects from noise.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 34

ALU DWDM Solutions

1626LM

is a scalable Alcatel DWDM platform initially developed for the core

network for LH and ULH applications. It provides a high transmission capacity on a
single optical fibre by multiplexing up to 96 x 10Gb/s (STM64/OC192) channels on a
25GHz grid.

It is used for:

regional terrestrial application

reconfigurable OADM: line terminal, line repeater
and access to traffic
band OADM
Back-to-back terminal
upgrading existing infrastructure

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 35

 1640WM

is a core Alcatel DWDM system supporting up to

160 channels in C and L ands with 50GHz spacing and
standard synchronous bit rates from 2.5Gbps to 10Gbps.

1686WM

is a regional and metropolitan Alcatel DWDM

system scalable up to 32 channels in C band and 40
channels in L band. It supports different bit rates from
100Mbps to 10Gbps.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 36

 1696MS
is a cost-effective metropolitan Alcatel DWDM
system supporting a broad range of data rates, easily
customized for intra-city networks.

1830PSS
is a scalable optical transport platform for regional
and MAN transport and services delivery. It provides 88
channel support, wavelength tracking and single fibre
bidirectional transmission. It also supports point-to-point
linear, ring and mesh-capable networks and is 2.5G/10G/40G
transport ready.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 37

 It is obvious that DWDM enables bandwidth multiplication, provides extra
resilience, improves scalability, permits multiple logical topologies over single
physical MAN and therefore makes optical transmission more effective.

That is why many telecoms service providers adopt it regardless of its

initially high cost of implementation.

But true investors know that on the long run, the capital will yield good
returns by improving their QoS and customer/subscriber base.

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 38

 AT THE SPEED OF IDEAS

Thank You for Your attention

By Ayodeji Morakinyo Bimonthly Presentation 39