WDM Fiber Network stands for Wavelength Division Multiplexing Fiber Network. It is a ground-breaking concept that was published in 1972 and was finally materialized by the late 70s. To understand this concept clearly one should first know how an optic fiber functions. An optic fiber works by converting data in the form of electrical signals into light signals at the transmitting end and then converting them back into electrical signals at the receiving end. The main advantage of this technology is that the speed of transfer is enormous considering that data is transmitted in the form of light.
In a WDM Fiber Network multiple channels of data are transmitted through a single optic fiber using light signals of non-overlapping frequencies. Each channel is independent and carries data in a specific frequency. Since, multiple channels are combined together; this technology exploits the maximum bandwidth of the optic fiber.
WDM Fiber Network uses a multiplexer at the transmitting end which combines various signals of non-overlapping frequencies into a format which can be transmitted using a single optic fiber and a device called demultiplexer at the receiving end in order to separate the different independent channels of data. Light signals are split into independent strands holding data and are then transmitted at varying speeds of 2.5 Gbits/sec, 10 Gbits/sec, etc. Initially when developed scientists were able to transmit only 2 different channels together. Today with rapid advancement occurring in this field one can send across as much as 160 channels of data. Furthermore, when an optic cable is used which is nothing but a bunch of optic fibers held together, the amount of data that can be transmitted is unbelievable. If for example a cable consists of 8 optic fibers and the speed of transmission is 10Gbits/sec, the total amount of data transmitted would be 80Gbits/sec. In other words, the fiber advantage is literally multiplied in a cable. Continue Reading