News: Optoelectronics
7 March 2023
Arelion and Infinera set benchmark for 400G ZR+ deployments in live network field trial
Infinera Corp of Sunnyvale, CA, USA, a vertically integrated manufacturer of digital optical network systems, and Arelion of Stockholm, Sweden have announced record-setting transmission of 400Gb/s wavelengths using a QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver over 1800km of SMF-28 fiber in a live production network. The milestone in 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.
The field trial also demonstrated the powerful programmability of Infinera’s ICE-X intelligent pluggable coherent solution. By adjusting the modulation of the optical signal in the same pluggable coherent solution, the firms also demonstrated long-distance performance at 300Gb/s and 200Gb/s 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. Disaggregation will enable Arelion to continue to integrate the latest optical pluggable components to dynamically scale its network and provide its customers with cost-efficient, high-capacity bandwidth services over long distances.
“We are pleased to once again partner with Infinera,” says Arelion’s senior network architect Georgios Tologlou. “We were early investors in optical pluggable components to drive demonstrable value and cost-efficiency for our customers. Lab trials with perfect fiber are one thing. But we are not afraid to test these pluggables in live networks over the same fiber 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,” he adds.
“Through collaboration with Arelion, this record-breaking achievement represents a significant milestone in the evolution of coherent optical solutions,” believes Tom Burns, general manager of the Optical Modules and Coherent Solutions Group at Infinera. “The trial demonstrates the level of performance that can be achieved in a QSFP-DD form factor powered by Infinera’s ICE-X technology and coupled with the power of open optical networking principles applied in Arelion’s live network.”
