Signs of recovery in the optical networking arena

Optical networks were the focus of considerable interest in the telecommunication industry in the late 1990s. This interest has weakened during the downturn of 2000-2001 and throughout the post-bubble era. Today, there are signs of a comeback for optical networking. These signs can be observed in commercial networks (those of telecommunication and cable companies) and in emerging research and education (R&E) network initiatives. In this paper, we examine the current status of optical networking in both commercial and R&E networks.