After completing the testing and demonstration phases, AT&T is pushing ahead with OpenROADM implementations across its live network.
Chris Rice, SVP of AT&T Labs, Domain 2.0 architecture and design, said in a blog post that the company is working on scaling deployments using multiple vendors and an optical SDN controller integrated into the ECOMP operating system.
AT&T first used the new ROADMs (reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers) and SDN controller in its internal management systems, but is now starting to use this network switch for customer traffic on the service provider’s network.
“We’re moving beyond the test and demonstration phase. We’re moving into the deployment and scale phase of our SDN-controlled optical network,” Rice wrote. “This new technology, along with our AI algorithms, will help ensure our customers can continue to do whatever they need to do, from streaming movies to running their businesses.”
Initial OpenROADM deployments will be in metro areas, where data travels shorter distances on AT&T networks, but eventually extend to increased distances. Dallas is slated as the first city for AT&T’s OpenROADM deployment, but the service provider will not stop there.
“Soon, we’ll be deploying OpenROADM technology as the standard design for all metro ROADMs – and eventually all ROADMs,” Rice said.
Software-control and interoperability are two main focuses of AT&T’s network management. ROADMs, which Rice calls “the workhorses” of the network, manage data over fiber optic lines and software-controlled ROADMs can automatically detect and adjust bandwidth, moving traffic into different lanes accordingly.
In 2016, AT&T launched the open ROADM group to create a Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) for OpenROADMs, alongside Ciena, Fujitsu and Nokia.
Interoperability specifications and models were developed by the 15 MSA members, and the group is currently working on third-generation features including higher rate wavelengths. Members include SK Telecom, Orange, Cisco, Rostelecom, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Italia, Juniper Networks and Deutsche Telekom.
“For the first time, we now have optical interoperability between equipment made by different vendors,” Rice wrote. “We also have common management APIs and a common network model. That’s huge.”