Fractional Lambda Switching/spl trade/

Fractional Lambda (/spl lambda/) Switching (F/spl lambda/S/spl trade/) adds the necessary efficiency to wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) while preserving the simplicity of whole /spl lambda/ switching. Due to its provisioning capability, from a fraction of STS-1 to a full optical channel capacity, F/spl lambda/S/spl trade/ will extend the reach of optical networking all the way to the network edges in the metro and enterprise. Finally, F/spl lambda/S/spl trade/ uniquely enables the implementation of dynamic all-optical switches since its operation does not require (1) optical processing (e.g., packet header processing) and (2) optical buffering.