Employing Channel Probing to Derive End-of-Life Service Margins for Optical Spectrum Services. To appear in OPTICA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking

TL;DR

This paper investigates channel probing accuracy for optical spectrum services, deriving service margins to ensure reliable operation in optical networks, validated through lab experiments and real network deployment.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic method to determine end-of-life service margins for OSaaS using channel probing, validated in both lab and live network environments.

Findings

Minimum 0.92 dB margin for neighboring channel impacts

Minimum 1.46 dB margin for end-of-life channel loads

Additional 0.6 dB margin for probing inaccuracies

Abstract

Optical Spectrum as a Service (OSaaS) spanning over multiple transparent optical network domains, can significantly reduce the investment and operational costs of the end-to-end service. Based on the black-link approach, these services are empowered by reconfigurable transceivers and the emerging disaggregation trend in optical transport networks. This work investigates the accuracy aspects of the channel probing method used in Generalized Signal to Noise Ratio (GSNR)-based OSaaS characterization in terrestrial brownfield systems. OSaaS service margins to accommodate impacts from enabling neighboring channels and end-of-life channel loads are experimentally derived in a systematic lab study carried out in the Open Ireland testbed. The applicability of the lab-derived margins is then verified in the HEAnet production network using a 400 GHz wide OSaaS. Finally, the probing accuracy is tested by depleting the GSNR margin through power adjustments utilizing the same 400 GHz OSaaS in the HEAnet live network. A minimum of 0.92 dB and 1.46 dB of service margin allocation is recommended to accommodate the impacts of enabling neighboring channels and end-of-life channel loads. Further 0.6 dB of GSNR margin should be allocated to compensate for probing inaccuracies.