News: Optoelectronics
24 September 2024
Coherent announces general availability of first 100G ZR QSFP28-DCO transceiver
Materials, networking and laser technology firm Coherent Corp of Saxonburg, PA, USA has announced the general availability and production release of what is claimed to be the industry’s first 100G ZR QSFP28 digital coherent optics (DCO) transceiver.
Leveraging the efficiency of Steelerton digital signal processor (DSP) technology from Coherent, the 100G ZR QSFP28-DCO module is said to set a new standard for low power consumption, operating at an industry-leading 5W in a highly compact form factor. The DSP is integrated with a silicon photonics optical front-end and a power-optimized tunable laser, based on Coherent’s indium phosphide platform. The combination of proprietary DSP and optics designs exemplifies the value of vertical integration for performance and scalability, says Coherent.
“We’re thrilled by the strong customer demand across multiple market segments and are excited to scale commercial deployments with our partners globally,” says Dr Beck Mason, executive VP, telecommunications, at Coherent.
“Digital coherent technology is moving closer to the edge to support ever-increasing demand for more bandwidth,” comments Vladmir Kozlov, CEO of LightCounting LLC. “Coherent’s 100G QSFP28 offers the industry the opportunity to seamlessly upgrade 10G DWDM networks with 100G transceivers without the need to re-engineer the network and allows reuse of existing 100G router and switch ports,” he adds.
“10G DWDM is widely deployed at the edge of the network, but carriers are searching for higher-bandwidth 100G solutions,” says Scott Wilkinson, lead analyst at Cignal AI. “Low-power QSFP28 is required at the edge, and Coherent’s 100ZR solution is well positioned to be the upgrade format of choice. It provides a span budget, ease of installation, and the chromatic dispersion tolerance of coherent with a format that smoothly integrates into existing hardware. This solution allows carriers to easily and economically increase capacity 10x at the edge of the network,” he adds.
“This transceiver sets a new benchmark in power efficiency, consuming far less energy than any other coherent solution on the market,” comments Christoph Glingener, chief technology officer of Adtran. “It enables operators to easily upgrade their edge and access networks from 10Gbps to 100Gbps data rates, while lowering both capital and operational expenses.”
The 100G ZR QSFP28-DCO is available in variants supporting both the SFF-8636 and CMIS management interface standards, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of existing network infrastructures. The seamless upgrade path on deployed QSFP28-equipped devices and the 300km dispersion-limited reach make the 100G ZR QSFP-DCO a versatile solution. Additionally, the integration of Flextune auto-tuning technology ensures zero-touch provisioning, significantly simplifying operations and reducing deployment complexity for carriers.
Coherent showcasing portfolio of new products and technology innovations at OFC
