Patent ID: 9225460
Filing Date: 2015-12-29
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. An optical telecommunications network comprising: plural nodes connected by plural spans and arranged to form a mesh network, each span comprising at least an optical fiber, at least a span of the plural spans having a different total capacity than at least another span of the plural spans, at least one pre-configured cycle of spare capacity being established in the mesh network, the pre-configured cycle including plural nodes of the mesh network and being pre-connected in readiness for a span failure in advance of the span failure; whole-fiber optical switches, each node of the plural nodes of the mesh network having at least a whole fiber optical switch of the whole fiber optical switches, the plural nodes of the pre-configured cycle being configured to in the event of a span failure redirect signals affected by the span failure onto the pre-configured cycle using the whole fiber optical switches; and in which there is at least a span that straddles the at least one pre-configured cycle, and the pre-configured cycle has at least a whole fiber of spare capacity, and the at least a span that straddles the at least one pre-configured cycle has two whole fibers of working capacity for each whole fiber of spare capacity in the at least one pre-configured cycle, and the whole fibers of working capacity of the at least a span that straddles the at least one pre-configured cycle are protected by the at least a whole fiber of spare capacity of the at least one pre-configured cycle.