(19)
(11) EP 1 376 916 A8

(12) CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(48) Corrigendum issued on:
28.04.2004 Bulletin 2004/18

(43) Date of publication:
02.01.2004 Bulletin 2004/01

(21) Application number: 03076984.8

(22) Date of filing: 20.06.2003
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: H04J 3/16
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK

(30) Priority: 27.06.2002 US 185135

(71) Applicant: Nortel Networks Limited
St. Laurent, Quebec H4S 2A9 (CA)

(72) Inventors:
  • Fisher, Douglas
    Reading, Berkshire RG10 9GY (GB)
  • Bragg, Nigel
    Cambridgeshire CB1 5NX (GB)
  • Friskney, Robert
    Harlow, Essex CM17 9QG (GB)
  • Baker, Nigel
    Harlow,Essex,CM17 9PU (GB)

(74) Representative: Anderson, Angela et al
Nortel Networks Limited IP Law Group London Road
Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA
Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA (GB)

   


(54) Concatenated transmission of synchronous data


(57) A multiplexed frame based client signal comprising a payload and a client overhead is transported between first and second client networks over a plurality of signal paths by inverse multiplexing the client signal into a plurality of lower rate signals each containing a respective payload and client overhead; attaching a carrier overhead to each said lower rate signal; transmitting the lower rate signals over the plurality of paths from the first client network to the second client network; and, at the second network, discarding the carrier overhead from each lower rate signal, and reassembling the lower rate signals so as to recover the client signal.. The method enables bandwidth trading utilising virtual concatenation of synchronous optical channels, such that transparent transmission of a customers signals over any variety of intermediate networks can be achieved without requiring that the intermediate networks support virtual concatenation.