SOA-based optical switched metro-access networks

Emerging 5G and beyond applications, such as industrial automation and edge computing, require strict end-to-end latency, jitter, and time synchronization. This paper introduces a reconfigurable, optically switched metro-access network using semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in a broadcast-and-select setup. The system utilizes a time-slotted WDM ring, managed by a distributed control plane on FPGAs with a supervisory channel. We outline node architecture, wavelength routing, and control-plane operation, including reservation-based scheduling for deterministic traffic. Tests show tightly controlled control-plane jitter and connection setup latency in tens of microseconds. High-precision time synchronization is achieved with an FPGA-based IEEE PTP implementation, enabling nanosecond alignment across nodes. Fast data recovery after switching is demonstrated at 25 Gbit/s, confirming suitability for dynamic, low-latency, time-sensitive edge-cloud networking.