Method and apparatus for efficient utilization of a transport capacity provided by an optical transport network

A method for efficient utilization of a transport capacity provided by an Optical Transport Network, OTN, the method comprising the steps of:

• extracting OPU payload areas of Nx independent Optical Data Units, ODUk;
• deskewing the extracted OPU payload areas of the Nx independent Optical Data Units, ODUk, to compensate differential transport delays;
• demapping of Tributary Slots, TS, of an aggregate OPU_N payload area from the Tributary Slots, TS, provided by the deskewed OPU payload areas of the Nx independent Optical Data Units, ODUk;
• demultiplexing of Optical Data Tributary Units, ODTU, from the aggregate OPU_N payload area;
• and
• demapping Lower Order, LO, Optical Data Units, LO ODUk, transmitted as client signals from the Optical Data Tributary Units, ODTU.

An Optical Transport Network, OTN, apparatus comprising:

• a first mapping unit adapted to map client signals comprising Lower Order, LO, Optical Data Units, LO ODUk, into Optical Data Tributary Units, ODTU, associated with a number of Tributary Slots, TS, of an aggregate OPU_N payload area having a size corresponding to available aggregated OPU payload areas of multiple, N, independent Higher Order, HO, Optical Data Units, HO ODUk, to be transported;
• a multiplexing unit adapted to multiplex the Optical Data Tributary Units, ODTU, into the aggregate OPU_N payload area;
• a second mapping unit adapted to map the Tributary Slots, TS, of the aggregate OPU_N payload area (4) into Tributary Slots, TS, provided by the OPU payload areas of the multiple, N, independent Higher Order, HO, Optical Data Units, HO ODUk, according to a predefined mapping rule, MR;
• wherein the multiple, N, independent Optical Data Units, ODUk, are either further multiplexed by said multiplexing unit or transmitted as Optical Transport Units, OTUk.