Autonomous provisioning of optical channels in submarine or foreign optical line systems

A method comprising the steps of:

• utilizing a plurality of modems to measure optical performance parameters of a plurality of optical channels of an optical spectrum, each optical channel being previously unassigned in an unknown optical link system to be commissioned, wherein the unknown optical link system is one of a submarine optical line system, a foreign optical line system, and a black-box optical link system, the plurality of modems being arranged within a group for communicating optical signals within the optical spectrum across the unknown optical link system to an unknown far-end network element;
• and
• provisioning the plurality of optical channels based on the measured optical performance parameters to enable data communication between the near-end network element and the far-end network element;
• wherein, before commissioning, the unknown optical link system does not allow data communication between the near-end network element and the far-end network element.

A far-end network element comprising:

• a plurality of modems arranged within a group, the plurality of modems being configured to communicate optical signals within an optical spectrum across an unknown optical link system to be commissioned, wherein the unknown optical link system is one of a submarine optical line system, a foreign optical line system, and a black-box optical link system, the plurality of modems being configured to receive the optical signals from an unknown near-end network element;
• a processing device;
• and
• a memory device configured to store computer logic having instructions that, when executed, enable the processing device to
• utilize the plurality of modems to measure optical performance parameters of a plurality of optical channels of the optical spectrum received from the near-end network element, each optical channel being previously unassigned in the unknown optical link system, and
• provision the plurality of optical channels based on the measured optical performance parameters to enable data communication between the near-end network element and the far-end network element, wherein, before commissioning, the unknown optical link system does not allow data communication between the near-end network element and the far-end network element.