Email this Page
  • The Black Box Store - Australia

  • Welcome
                           Need Technical advice? Call 1300 73 55 66 to speak with an expert.

Black Box Explains… WDM

WDM.

WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing), also known as DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing), is a technology that combines many different data streams for transmission over a single strand of fiber optic cable. A WDM multiplexor gives each data stream (or channel) a separate light wavelength and then combines the wavelengths into a single lightsteam for transmission over fiber.

WDM has the potential to transmit up to 80 channels with an aggregate bandwidth of up to 200 billion bits per second.

One of the advantages of WDM technology is that different data formats can be transmitted together. For instance, one fiber strand can be carrying Fast Ethernet, ATM, and IP data at the same time.

WDM is expected to replace TDM (Time Division Multiplexing), the currently popular technology for combining data streams over fiber cable.