Design factors in multicast service delivery using the optical layer in core and metro networks

As optical switching and multiplexing architectures evolve, optical multicast keeps on being a capability advertised by a few core and transport optical equipment vendors. However, to the date, not much use of this service has been made by operators. This work addresses the reasons behind this fact, identifies the key technical design factors in a multicast-capable network and the challenges to face for an effective use of multicast at the optical layer.