With its potential to unlock a significant portion of the optical fiber bandwidth, optical switching has attracted a great deal of attention from the telecommunications industry. While much has been published on the subject in individual articles, Optical Switching is the first to cohesively present the topic in a single book. The three authors examine and discuss all the challenges involved in the commercialization of optical switching. Readers are brought up to date with the latest advances in research as well as the technological hurdles that researchers and engineers still face.

One of the first topics addressed in the book is the optical switch fabric, the device that can redirect optical signals according to instructions that it receives from the switch control unit. The authors explore key issues surrounding optical switch fabrics, including the parameters taken into account when evaluating optical switching technologies, the potential applications of optical switches in networks, the most popular optical switching technologies, and the manufacture of switches with large port counts.

Next, the authors dedicate individual chapters to the three optical switching paradigms that are most promising:

• Optical Packet Switching (OPS)
• Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS)
• Optical Burst Switching (OBS)

Readers gain an in-depth understanding of the principles underlying each paradigm and each one's advantages and disadvantages. Illustrations are used extensively throughout the book to help readers visualize complex concepts and systems. The bibliography points readers to the relevant literature for further investigation of particular topics.

For telecommunications and network engineers, this is the first source to bring together a current understanding of optical switching based on the latest research. It is also recommended as a supplement for courses on advanced optical networks to introduce students to this important emerging technology.