Why Are WDM Technologies So Popular Today

With the increase in demand for more bandwidth and faster transmission rates over increasing distances, the voice, video,  and data networks are becoming more complex. To fulfill these needs, network managers are relying more on fiber optics. Many providers, enterprise corporations and government entities are moving towards fiber optics but once their available fiber infrastructure in exhausted, laying more fiber is an expensive option. Here comes the WDM

Many companies are embracing WDM (Wave Division Multiplexing) technologies in order to increase the capacity and strength of the existing fiber infrastructure. WDM is a technology which multiplexes multiple optical into one single fiber by utilizing different wavelengths. Thus WDM communication methods can create a multiplication effect inside an available fiber’s capacity.

WDM is bit-rate independent protocol. WDM-based networks can transmit data in IP, ATM, SONET/SDH and Ethernet with look after bt rates between 100 Mbps and 40 Gbps. So, WDM-based networks can hold various kinds of traffic at different speeds over the channel.  Therefore, WDM is a less expensive approach and a quick reaction to customer’s bandwidth demands and protocol changes.  WDM- based networks combine and transmit multiple signals at different wavelengths to control bandwidth and expand the capacity of existing fiber optic backbones.

WDM optical solutions are becoming a valuable tool for cable operators as segmentation and delivering business services tend to be more rampant. Two-wavelength WDM can increase service capacity two times within the same volume of fibers. There have been some limitations using complicated WDM techniques for carrying four or even more optical signals on the same fiber but recent innovations have made possible to transport multiple broadcast signals on the single fiber. This turns node segmentation more cost-effective and operationally friendly.

There are mainly two variations of WDM which are popular. Coarse WDM (CWDM) and Dense WDM (DWDM). We know each signal is at a different wavelength so each variation has different capabilities and costs used in WDM Multiplexer (or Demultiplexer) devices. The demultiplexer separates the signals conversely while multiplexer combines several data signals into one signal for transporting on the single fiber.

CWDM technologies have only been created for HFC (Hybrid fiber-coaxial) networks for the telecommunications industry. Eight transmitters at different CWDM wavelengths can be multiplexed onto an individual fiber just by using a CWDM MUX (CWDM Multiplexer). This could be helpful when the return-path has a lot more bandwidth contention compared to the forward-path, so 2X4 node segmentation may be sufficient.   

DWDM is more expensive and operationally challenging than CWDM yet it offers much flexibility for node segmentation. Broadcast/Narrowcast DWDM Overlay is the method to segment nodes utilizing DWDM within the forward-path. On the node, the narrowcast DWDM wavelengths are separated onto their unique fibers. The narrowcast content will then be overlaid with the broadcast content at the node in a choice of the RF domain or perhaps the optical domain.

WDM technologies have become very popular nowadays, and the equipment that is related to them is so important to networking users.
At GBIC-SHOPwe have various kinds of CWDM/DWDM products available. We are the biggest supplier in Germany who can provide all fiber-optic network solutions.