OFC 2023: Infinera sets 400G distance records
Created March 6, 2023
News and BusinessInfinera has claimed two new world records for the transmission of 400G over long distances using its ICE-X pluggables.
The first is with Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier) involving the transmission of 400 Gbps wavelengths using an ICE-X QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver over 1,800 kilometres of SMF-28 fibre in a live production network. The point-to-point optical networking was achieved by leveraging Infinera’s ICE-X 400G ZR+ intelligent pluggable coherent transceiver across Arelion’s production transmission network on routes between Dallas, Memphis, and Chattanooga. In addition, by adjusting the modulation of the optical signal in the same pluggable coherent solution, the companies also demonstrated long-distance performance at 300 Gbps and 200 Gbps using a QSFP-DD pluggable. These achievements were made possible by leveraging Arelion’s open and disaggregated networking approach over its live network with concurrently deployed wavelengths, including those of third-party solution providers.
The second record was set in a demonstration featuring Infinera’s ICE-X 400G intelligent coherent pluggable solution hosted in UfiSpace’s 400G disaggregated core and edge routers across 2,400 km of Corning’s TXF fibre, an ultra-low-loss, silica-core fibre with large effective area. The demonstration leveraged the advanced features supported by Infinera’s line of ICE-X intelligent coherent pluggables, including integrated system-level intelligence, programmable modulation, tuneable baud rate, efficient spectrum utilisation, and 0 dBm launch power. Infinera says the transmission distance achieved in this trial is twice the previous record. The demonstration will be shown on Infinera’s booth at OFC, where it has also launched ICE 7, the latest iteration of its optical engine, along with a new range of components.
“We are pleased to once again partner with Infinera,” said Georgios Tologlou, Senior Network Architect at Arelion. “We were early investors in optical pluggable components to drive demonstrable value and cost-efficiency for our customers. Lab trials with perfect fibre are one thing. But we are not afraid to test these pluggables in live networks over the same fibre we’re using for live traffic, so we were happy to demonstrate the real-world potential of Infinera’s new coherent pluggable technology when implemented through Arelion’s open and disaggregated network architecture.”
“This achievement underscores the value of Infinera’s fully vertically integrated and highly programmable line of ICE-X pluggables,” said Robert Maher, Infinera CTO. “It also highlights the value of integrated system-level intelligence in enabling industry-leading point-to-point ZR+ performance even when deployed in third-party elements. ICE-X enables network operators to leverage cost-efficient and power-efficient pluggable solutions across a broad range of network applications without sacrificing performance, manageability, or network resiliency.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with Infinera once again to prove how combined leading-edge technologies can work together to maximise capacity and reach,” said Sharon Bois, division vice president, product line and marketing, Corning Optical Fibre and Cable. “Our TXF fibre enables network operators to transmit more data over longer distances and help connect the unconnected, all while lowering their overall network costs.”
For more information, visit www.infinera.com
