Patent ID: 7424224

Claim:
A method of performing failure routing in an optical system, comprising: determining whether a failure exists in a single channel of an optical signal received on a first terrestrial optical fiber; ascertaining whether a failure exists in multiple channels of the optical signal received on a first terrestrial optical fiber or whether a loss of the optical signal has occurred, wherein ascertaining is performed if it is determined that a failure does not exist in a single channel of the optical signal received on the first terrestrial optical fiber; switching to a second diversely routed terrestrial optical fiber if said ascertaining ascertains that the failure exists in multiple channels of the optical signal received on a first terrestrial optical fiber or that the loss of the optical signal has occurred; verifying whether a failure exists in multiple channels of an optical signal received on the second diversely routed terrestrial optical fiber or whether a loss of the optical signal has occurred; and switching to a diversely routed submarine cable if said verifying determines that the failure exists in multiple channels of the optical signal received on the second diversely routed terrestrial optical fiber.