Why is optical switching useful?
Most telecommunications networks transmit information by encoding information on optical pulses. In order to ensure the arrival of a signal (such as an e-mail or a web page) any given signal must navigate many different optical fiber lines in order to reach a destination. The process of controlling the route of an optical signal often relies on electronic control and storage of the signal. However it is much faster and less expensive if an optical signal can be controlled by another optical signal. This is the fundamental idea behind all-optical switching.
