On the Evolution of the Optical Infrastructure

This paper discusses the evolution of optical systems starting from WDM links to Optical Packet Switching Networks via some stages as Switched Optical Networks, Multilayer Networks with either traffic or wavelength grooming, Optical VPNs and Optical Burst Switching. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of certain approaches since the future developments of optical networking technology might influence this evolution. We also draw our near-term and long-term visions of optical networking.