Quality of Transmission-Aware Optimization of Passive WDM Optical Xhaul Access Networks

Passive wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical technologies are a cost-effective transmission solution for ensuring connectivity in Xhaul networks, transporting radio traffic between remote access nodes and a central site (hub) in 5G radio access networks. The optimization of passive WDM optical Xhaul networks requires careful decisions on routing transmission paths and placing optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs) to aggregate traffic while maintaining the transmission quality (QoT) to ensure expected transmission reach. This work presents a QoT-aware heuristic algorithm for optimized planning of such networks. The numerical analysis shows the algorithm’s effectiveness in planning the transmission paths aggregating traffic from remote sites using OADMs, particularly considerable cost savings compared to the network without traffic aggregation.