Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is an optical fiber multiplexing technology that is used to increase the bandwidth of existing fiber networks. It combines data signals from different sources over a single pair of optical fiber, while maintaining complete separation of the data streams.
A separate light wavelength carries each signal, and the dense in DWDM refers to its ability to accommodate up to 80 different wavelengths. Each wavelength is about 0.8 nanometer wide and shares a single optical fiber.
With DWDM, vendors have found various techniques for cramming 40, 88, or 96 wavelengths of fixed spacing into the C-band spectrum of a fiber.
Traditional DWDM line systems use Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS) designed with fixed 50GHz or 100GHz filters.
These fixed-grid line systems can accommodate channels from early generations of coherent transponders whose wavelengths require less than 50GHz or 100GHz of spectrum (depending on the filter used).
Today, networks with high- bandwidth applications and sustained bandwidth growth that are quickly facing capacity exhaustion are turning to C+L-band solutions, which also leverage the L-band spectrum of a fiber to potentially double the fiber capacity.
One of the best features of deploying DWDM over a flexible grid photonic line system is signal independence—the ability to support multiple generations of transponders independent of format, bit rate, symbol rate, etc.
As such, many networks designed for 10 and 40 Gb/s are now carrying 200 Gb/s channels, and many that were deployed with flexible grid capability are now carrying 400 Gb/s and even 800 Gb/s signals!
With DWDM, vendors have found various techniques for cramming 40, 88, or 96 wavelengths of fixed spacing into the C-band spectrum of a fiber
| DWDM C-band λc Wavelength Guide | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ITU Channel Code | Wavelength | ITU Channel Code | Wavelength |
| 21 | 1560.61 | 41 | 1544.53 |
| 22 | 1559.79 | 42 | 1543.73 |
| 23 | 1558.98 | 43 | 1542.94 |
| 24 | 1558.17 | 44 | 1542.14 |
| 25 | 1557.36 | 45 | 1541.35 |
| 26 | 1556.55 | 46 | 1540.56 |
| 27 | 1555.75 | 47 | 1539.77 |
| 28 | 1554.94 | 48 | 1538.98 |
| 29 | 1554.13 | 49 | 1538.19 |
| 30 | 1553.33 | 50 | 1537.4 |
| 31 | 1552.52 | 51 | 1536.61 |
| 32 | 1551.72 | 52 | 1535.82 |
| 33 | 1550.92 | 53 | 1535.04 |
| 34 | 1550.12 | 54 | 1534.25 |
| 35 | 1549.32 | 55 | 1533.47 |
| 36 | 1548.51 | 56 | 1532.68 |
| 37 | 1547.72 | 57 | 1531.9 |
| 38 | 1546.92 | 58 | 1531.12 |
| 39 | 1546.12 | 59 | 1530.33 |
| 40 | 1545.32 | 60 | 1529.55 |