Even if you are well acquainted with the telecommunications industry, there are so many different subfields that you may not be aware of some money-saving technologies. WDM, or wave division multiplexing, is a great way to maximize your investment in privately-owned lines and also a very advantageous service should you decide to purchase it from a service provider.
What is WDM?
Essentially, WDM is a way to take advantage of telecom lines by simultaneously transmitting multiple signals. Compared to other telecom lines, lines that use WDM will drastically cut your expenses due to line consolidation.
Though there are many types of multiplexing, wavelength division multiplexing pertains to fiber-line infrastructure. In the simplest terms, WDM changes the wavelength of different light signals traveling over the cable, thereby differentiating the signals. Think of it as carving out different ‘channels’ over the transmission medium that can independently be used to send data without fear of interference from the other channels. Because you can transmit multiple signals over the same cable at the same time, you can drastically increase bandwidth over a single fiber line.
Why Does it Matter?
Knowing how to get the highest ROI for your investment in carrier-grade connections or privately-owned infrastructure is essential to protecting your profits. Telecom expense management is becoming increasingly critical with each passing day, and you need to know how to select the best technologies for performance, reliability, and cost savings. In certain situations, it is not advantageous or cost effective to purchase numerous connections to send your data. Though fiber optic connections have insanely fast data transmission rates, they come at a high cost. Instead of allowing costs to quickly accumulate by leasing or purchasing a high quantity of fiber lines, consider that WDM will allow you to multiply your existing bandwidth across any single line.
You will undoubtedly want to have redundant connections, but WDM will help you to consolidate connections by scaling your bandwidth. WDM is only going to matter more as technology progresses. Though other lightning-fast connections are becoming more and more common (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet), optical carrier connections are still unmatched by their amount of raw bandwidth. Furthermore, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gigabit Ethernet, and other high speed connections have their place and purpose. Although extremely fast, they are ill-suited for WAN applications. However, this is yet another area where WDM excels.
Managing Expenses with TEM
If you don’t understand the differences in carrier lines, WAN connections, or WDM options, you will have a hard time getting the most bang for your buck out of your telecom infrastructure. Your telecom infrastructure, though critical to the success of your business, is a double-edged sword. It can harm you as much as it can help you and gobble up profits in the blink of an eye without expense management. If you don’t understand the best carrier options or you don’t have a TEM system in place, it is high time you spoke with an expert.
[author_bio username=”Ken” name=”yes”]
