Optical cross-connect

An optical cross-connect (English: Optical cross-connect OCC or OXC ) is an apparatus including optical switch used in optical telecommunications networks, and operate as a non-blocking multiplex systems between any SDH or OTN interface. An optical cross-connect, is a network node, which consists of an optical switch, a wavelength switch, and a wavelength converter. An OXC can usually be multiplexed in the spatial position, ie switch each incoming fiber optic cable to any desired outgoing optical waveguide, the optical signal without the need for the switching operation to an electrical signal to be converted.

If it can be multiplexed in the frequency position, it operates by means of WDM techniques with multiple wavelengths ( so-called " lambda ") and is capable, also, the incoming on a particular lambda useful signal without converting into an optical signal on a different Lamba to. Send So far, the optical frequency division multiplexing is not yet marketable, and therefore, the aim is to design optical transport networks so that they only need a few of these frequency conversions. Achievable bit rates at 40 Gigabit / s MPLS systems often use OXC components.