Since the article is quite light on details, can somebody give a ELI5 explanation of how an "all-photonics" network differs from your regular fiber optic network? I take it this means there are no regular electronic components along the way?
I would have assumed this confers a speed advantage since the article mentions 33.84 msec round trip, but this doesn't actually look any faster than this random site logging an average rtt of 30 msec. What am I missing? https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Tokyo/Taipei
I think this is just a status update for IOWN inter-ISP network construction project from NTT, the privatized Japanese national telco.
IIUC they follow their organizational inertia to use expressions like "developing IOWN technology" as if they're designing a new CPU, but in fact they're just upgrading exchanges and signing new agreements.
They're probably not wrong, as it's often said that network is the computer, but it's certainly a bit quirky behavior.
I don't have time to read their architecture. Did they just setup a 100Gbps fiber link or is there some pure photonic computing happening at some point?
The toughest part (as I see it) is the business/economic part, getting multiple ISPs to cooperate and enable end-to-end optical paths. Having a control plane that works across multiple ISPs also requires solving technical and business problems.
Optical paths, especially long-range optical paths, also have to deal with all sorts of signal loss and impairments, including effects from optical amplification, switching, coupling, and fiber itself.
Since the article is quite light on details, can somebody give a ELI5 explanation of how an "all-photonics" network differs from your regular fiber optic network? I take it this means there are no regular electronic components along the way?
I would have assumed this confers a speed advantage since the article mentions 33.84 msec round trip, but this doesn't actually look any faster than this random site logging an average rtt of 30 msec. What am I missing? https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Tokyo/Taipei
I think this is just a status update for IOWN inter-ISP network construction project from NTT, the privatized Japanese national telco.
IIUC they follow their organizational inertia to use expressions like "developing IOWN technology" as if they're designing a new CPU, but in fact they're just upgrading exchanges and signing new agreements.
They're probably not wrong, as it's often said that network is the computer, but it's certainly a bit quirky behavior.
It's open air no fiber involved. So line of sight lasers, presumably.
Edit: well, it says "Innovative Optical and Wireless Network" but maybe that doesn't mean what I think it means.
I don't have time to read their architecture. Did they just setup a 100Gbps fiber link or is there some pure photonic computing happening at some point?
Open All-Photonic Network Functional Architecture: https://iowngf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/21/IOWN-GF-...
It appears to be a federated control plane for creating DWDM paths through multiple ISPs.
The toughest part (as I see it) is the business/economic part, getting multiple ISPs to cooperate and enable end-to-end optical paths. Having a control plane that works across multiple ISPs also requires solving technical and business problems.
Optical paths, especially long-range optical paths, also have to deal with all sorts of signal loss and impairments, including effects from optical amplification, switching, coupling, and fiber itself.
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