Abstract
Elastic optical network (EON) is considered as the platform for future optical transport networks. Routing and spectrum allocation (RSA) has a significant bearing on EON. Currently, researches tend to presume that RSA supports discrete or continuous rates. However, the approach of applying continues rates inevitably places a high burden on the management and implementation of EON. Contrastingly, discrete rates are static and could be misaligned with the demands of customers. We propose an EON that advertise continuous (any) rates, while in reality admitting a limited set of quantized levels. This approach redesigns the marketing strategy of EON services. We show how to quantize and map the continuous advertised rates into a limited set of quantized levels optimally, and with minimal effect. We use simulation to evaluate the different parameters impacting the continuous model and confirm the feasibility of the proposed model.