Abstract

Modern data communication systems rely heavily on efficient network topologies to support high-speed, reliable, and scalable data transfer. Optical networks and packet-switched networks represent two fundamental approaches to data communication, each offering distinct performance characteristics and design trade-offs. Optical networks provide extremely high bandwidth and low latency through light-based transmission, while packet-switched networks offer flexibility, robustness, and efficient resource sharing through packet-based routing mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive performance analysis of optical and packet-switched network topologies in the context of data communication systems. The study evaluates key performance metrics such as throughput, latency, packet loss, scalability, and fault tolerance. Analytical and comparative analysis techniques are used to examine how different topological designs impact network efficiency under varying traffic conditions. The research highlights the strengths and limitations of both network paradigms and explores scenarios in which hybrid architectures may offer optimal performance. The findings demonstrate that while optical networks excel in bandwidth-intensive and latency-sensitive applications, packet-switched networks remain superior in dynamic and heterogeneous traffic environments. This performance-oriented evaluation provides valuable insights for network designers and researchers seeking to optimize communication infrastructures for modern data-driven applications