On the cost-effective deployment of future data services over transport networks with a flexible DWDM grid

We employ a cost-optimization procedure for the static planning of flexible-grid networks with heterogeneous interfaces spanning 40, 100 and 400 Gb/s channels. The optimization results show that the extra capacity enabled by this setup can reach 37% in a long-haul network, and more than double in a metro network. Furthermore, we evaluate different scenarios in terms of the traffic profile and the cost ratio between 100G and 400G technology. It is shown that 400G channels already have a strong case for cost-efficient deployment in the range of 2.5 to 3 times the cost of 100G, and for demands exceeding 200 Gb/s, more so in metro scenarios.