Current books about optical networks are typically large (700-1000 pages) and encyclopedic in coverage; this certainly fits the mold. Rather atypically, the author is listed as a former professor of electronics and electrical communication engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, but the book does not include even a brief author biography beyond this designation. Nothing else is left out, though, as the book’s coverage extends from history to technology basics to systems and applications, with copious amounts of detail and considerable mathematical depth.
The coverage focuses on practical, widely used technologies, leaving out some of the more academic ones (such as solitons and holey fibers). The book includes multiple black-and-white charts and diagrams, but none of the typical SEM device photos commonly seen in hardware books. The bibliography at the end of the book is vast, although the entries date from 2017 or earlier.
Particularly useful are the end-of-chapter exercises focused on practical matters and higher-level thinking, well beyond the level of plugging numbers into equations. For ease of navigation, the book also includes an index and an extensive list of acronyms. Written in a clear and easy to follow style, with up-to-date contents, and with an excellent set of exercises, this book would work very well as a textbook for a graduate class on the topic. Equally well, it can be used as a reference for professionals in the field.
Review by Bogdan Hoanca, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA.
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.