Improving the accuracy of QoT estimation with insertion loss distribution evaluation for C+L band transmission systems

The accuracy of quality of transmission (QoT) estimation is crucial for software-defined optical networks (SDONs), where network planning and system management of the centralized controller depend on reliable performance evaluation. The insertion loss (IL) commonly exists along the light path between the transmitter side (Tx) and the receiver side (Rx) in fiber optical transmission systems, and the IL values vary for each connector and pigtail. In the case of C + L band transmission systems that are about to be deployed on a large scale, in the presence of severe stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), IL further influences the launch power profile (LPP) as well as the noise spectrum, and the process in the QoT estimation will be disturbed without available IL values. Therefore, there is a great need for an accurate calculation method of IL distribution. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate IL distribution in fiber optical transmission links to improve the accuracy of QoT estimation based on the SRS effect. The results demonstrate that, compared with other common methods, our proposed method greatly improves the accuracy of QoT estimation for C + L band transmission systems with accurate IL distribution evaluation. The high accuracy, robustness, and ability to adapt dynamic conditions make our proposed method a promising QoT estimation scheme in practical C + L band fiber optical communication systems.