Next generation sliceable bandwidth variable transponders

This article reports the work on next generation transponders for optical networks carried out within the last few years. A general architecture supporting super-channels (i.e., optical connections composed of several adjacent subcarriers) and sliceability (i.e., subcarriers grouped in a number of independent super-channels with different destinations) is presented. Several transponder implementations supporting different transmission techniques are considered, highlighting advantages, economics, and complexity. Discussions include electronics, optical components, integration, and programmability. Application use cases are reported.