Patent ID: 7546039

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, from a network operator, an instruction to change a setting of a polarization controller, the polarization controller one of a plurality of polarization controllers distributed within an optical network, the instruction not responsive to a detected error in a discrete optical communication, the instruction provided responsive to an indication related to a probability density function associated with a Polarization Mode Dispersion vector; responsive to the instruction to change the setting of the polarization controller, automatically changing a first rotational speed of a birefringent plate of a plurality of birefringent plates associated with the polarization controller to orient the birefringent plate pseudo-randomly over time with respect to a predetermined axis, the first rotational speed less than about one revolution per thirty seconds, said automatically changing the rotational speed performed with respect to a second rotational speed of at least one other birefringent plate of the plurality of birefringent plates associated with the polarization controller, the second rotational speed less than about one revolution per thirty seconds, wherein said first rotational speed is chosen according to R˜10/(N*T), where R is a needed number of rotations per unit time given in terms of the number of polarization controllers N, and the time period T of an Service Level Agreement to be satisfied.