WDM component offers flexibility
Denise Pappalardo, East Coast Bureau Chief
Wave division multiplexing has yet to make its way into every carrier's network, but vendors are already developing more flexible ways for service providers to
upgrade their systems.
LightPath Technologies, a small Albuquerque, N.M.-based glass lens manufacturer, developed Gradium, a new technology that will let carriers support multiple
optical waves on a single device.
There are several different component approaches to doing WDM, said John Ryan, principal at Ryan Hankin and Kent, a San Francisco-based consultancy. The
most common approaches include a Bragg fiber grating and a Dragone fiber filter, each named for its inventor, he said.
The existing technologies are limited by the number of wavelengths they can handle effectively, Ryan said. "Depending on which technology is being used, a
reasonable amount of rigidity may make it extremely difficult, awkward and costly to change from a two-channel to an 18-channel device," he said. LightPath's
technology is slated to offer a level of flexibility and cost less.
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