Accurate and Scalable Quality of Transmission Estimation for Wideband Optical Systems

Fast and accurate quality of transmission (QoT) estimation algorithms are fundamental for the efficient and cost-effective network planning and operation. This work analyses the computational time and accuracy of different QoT estimation methods suitable for wideband transmission systems. We show that methods that do not account for the effect of interchannel Stimulated Raman Scatering (ISRS) are simpler but also only accurate enough for narrower transmission bandwidths, namelly C-band only transmission. On the other hand, optical fibre transmission using a wider bandwidth requires employing more complex performance evaluation algorithms. In this work, we assess the potential of QoT estimation methods that approximate the effects of ISRS analytically. Moreover, the impact on the network-wide average channel capacity of using different QoT methods is also assessed.