Patent ID: 6907197
Filing Date: 2005-06-14
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. A WDM optical network comprising a plurality of nodes, each node comprising an optical device at which multiplexing and/or demultiplexing operations are carried out, one or more optical amplifiers being provided between adjacent pairs of nodes, wherein a first apparatus for optical analysis is provided at the site of a first optical amplifier upstream of the first node, a second apparatus for optical analysis is provided at the site of a second optical amplifier at the downstream output of the first node, and a third apparatus for optical analysis is provided at the site of a third optical amplifier further downstream of the first node, where knowledge of the optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) is desired, wherein the first, second and third apparatus are for measuring the signal level at frequencies both at and in-between the channel frequencies, and wherein signal levels at the channel frequencies and between the channel frequencies at the first, second and third apparatus are used to derive the OSNR at the third apparatus.