Infinera, XO Communications field trial 100G transmission over 1348 km

Sept. 7, 2010
SEPTEMBER 6, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- Infinera says it has successfully completed a 100-Gbps coherent transmission field trial that leveraged its 500-Gbps photonic integrated circuits (PICs) The trial was conducted on XO Communications’ network between Denver and Dallas, a distance of 1348 km.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- Infinera (Nasdaq: INFN) says it has successfully completed a 100-Gbps coherent transmission field trial that leveraged its 500-Gbps photonic integrated circuits (PICs) The trial was conducted on XO Communications’ network between Denver and Dallas, a distance of 1348 km.

The live route uses Infinera’s 100G-ready ILS WDM line system. According to David Welch, co-founder, executive vice president, and chief strategy officer at Infinera, the trail included the transmission of 10G and 100G channels simultaneously on the ITU grid. The 100G channel was transmitted using polarization multiplexed quadrature phase-shift keying (PM-QPSK) modulation and coherent detection and covered the 1348 km “with reach to spare,” Welch says. Welch expects the technology will be certified to travel over longer distances.

Infinera first discussed the 100G-capable PICs in May (see “Infinera lays out 40G/100G coherent roadmap”). The new PICs – which include both a transmit and receive PIC -- combine more than 600 devices, a 10X improvement over previous generations. The receive PIC incorporates the optical portions of the coherent receiver functions, including integrated local oscillators; the electrical functions are combined in a separate device, Welch says.

Welch described the XO trial as “the first we can talk about,” but declined to comment on other trials, other than to say that other customers have asked to demonstrate the technology.

“We are pleased to support development of Infinera’s PIC-based 100G-based systems,” said XO Communications Chief Technology Officer Randy Nicklas. “XO Communications looks forward to the increased capacity and superior efficiency we anticipate these 100G systems will deliver, as we work to meet growing bandwidth demands from our enterprise and wholesale service provider and mobile wireless customers.”

The company plans to make the technology commercially available in 2012.

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