See http://www.optical-networks.com/

Call for Papers 

Wavelength Routed Networks: Architectures, Protocols and
Experiments 

Data traffic on the Internet is doubling every few months, putting
tremendous pressure on carriers and Internet service providers to deliver lots
of inexpensive bandwidth. Recent advances in optical technology, and in
particular wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), enable a single strand of
fiber to carry nearly a terabit of data per second. In spite of the recent
advances in silicon that have led to the advent of terabit routers that can
electronically route millions of packets per second, it is widely believed that
wavelength routing will be essential in alleviating the load on electronic
routers. Wavelength routing provides a unique opportunity for the future
high-speed network infrastructure, and also is revolutionizing the way
high-speed networks are designed. Wavelength routing allows data traffic to
be routed optically without undergoing electronic regeneration at each
intermediate hop. In addition, it allows a "virtual topology" to be created and
optimized based on long-term changing demands, similar to the capacity
provisioning in today's telephone networks. 

Many issues related to the wavelength routing have to be carefully examined
in order to gain full advantage of this technique. This special issue seeks to
consolidate and disseminate leading research at the intersection of novel
architectures and research prototypes in wavelength-routed optical
networks. Specific focuses are given to the practicality and the potential in
wavelength routed networks. Topics sought for this Special Issue include (but
are not limited to) the following: 

      How wavelength routing can be practically used in today's networks 
      Where electronics ends and optics begins - getting the best of both
      worlds 
      How to minimize resources (wavelength miles, cross-connects,
      wavelength converters) in wavelength routing networks. 
      Effects of signal impairment on wide area wavelength-routed
      architectures 
      Applications of wavelength routing: use of wavelength routing to
      create distinct virtual networks supported by the same optical layout 
      How to handle virtual toplogy and network reconfiguration 
      Technical limitations in establishing lightpaths and virtual topologies 
      Interaction between wavelength routing and the existing networking
      standards, especially the Internet (IP), frame relay, and SONET/SDH
      Future of wavelength routing; Whether soliton transmission is going
      to be used jointly with WDM, or as a single channel 

Original, unpublished contributions and invited articles will be considered for
the issue. Authors wishing to submit papers should send an electronic version
(postscript or PDF files ONLY) to banerjed@lucent.com (Dhritiman
Banerjee) and to bli@cs.ust.hk (Bo Li). Authors are also requested to submit
a separate cover letter via e-mail, which contains the paper title, authors with
affiliations, and a 200-word abstract. 

The paper should be formatted to print on either A4 or 8.5"x11" paper. The
paper should be no longer than 15 double-spaced pages, excluding
illustrations and graphs. If electronic submission is impossible, please submit
SIX hard copies of the paper to either Dr. Banerjee or Prof. Li's regular mail
address. 



Submission deadline: 31 March 2000 
Acceptance notification: August 31, 2000 
Final manuscript due: 15 October 2000 
Publication date: Second quarter 2001