Demand for IPoDWDM, OTN on routers growing

BANGALORE, INDIA: Contrary to the general industry impression that there is little interest in deploying IPoDWDM (Internet protocol over dense wavelength division multiplexing ) on routers, a surprisingly large percentage of the service providers we surveyed recently are using or will use IPoDWDM on routers: about half in 2010, and 70 percent by 2012, says market research firm Infonetics Research.

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Infonetics Research released excerpts from its OTN (Open Transport Network), IPoDWDM, and GMPLS on Routers: Global Service Provider Survey.

Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst, Infonetics Research, said: "Respondent adoption of OTN on routers is similar, though slower in the short term. The main driver for IPoDWDM is cost savings by using less expensive coloured optics on routers instead of expensive OEO transponders on both ends of the router-DWDM connection."

Howard adds that industry discussions of IPoDWDM usually involve issues over who controls the transport (DWDM optical) layer, with clashes or differences between data groups and transport groups.

Most newcomers to the IPoDWDM scene will deploy to save costs with no intention of putting the router in control of the DWDM layer. Most operators plan eventually to combine the operations staffs for data and transport, adds the report.

The survey finds that competitive operators are much farther along than incumbents in this transition. GMPLS is being used in optical networks, but carriers may be holding back to see how useful a tool it would be in the data domain.

As the standard for MPLS-TP is still being defined, it is understandable that most of the adoption growth for MPLS-TP on routers is expected in 2013 or later.