Abstract

Verizon has been actively investigating automated patch panels for nearly a decade. The first implementation to gain significant market penetration is the now termed Reconfigurable Optical Add Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) using Wavelength Selectable Switches (WSS). This talk will provide a brief history followed by a detailed description of several new automated fiber switch applications being proposed and the technology best suited to support those applications.

Biography

Glenn Wellbrock is the Director of Optical Transport Network Architecture and Design at Verizon, where he is responsible for the development of new technologies for both the metro and long haul transport infrastructure. Previous positions include running the advanced technology lab, establishing evaluation criteria, and setting engineering guidelines for all backbone transport equipment as well as various positions within network operations. In addition to his 20+ years at Verizon (1984-2001 & 2004-present), Glenn was responsible for Product Architecture within the USA focused optical networks group at Marconi and Product Planning at Qplus Networks with a specific focus on developing alternative modulation techniques.