Vodafone New Zealand says it has turned up what it asserts is the first live 400-Gbps wavelength deployment. The deployment leverages technology from Ciena Corp. (NYSE:CIEN) as well as test and measurement assistance from EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF).
The initial 400-Gbps links support live core IP traffic between Vodafone New Zealand's Auckland data centers. However, the service provider says it plans to expand the use of 400-Gbps wavelengths to a medium-haul route during September. The company also plans a long-haul trial between islands that will begin this month as well as one along a long-haul route between north and south islands during October.
"This investment is about ensuring our transport network is in great shape for today and ready for the future – it is an important step on the roadmap to 5G and for a stack of other exciting innovations across New Zealand's sprawling fiber and high-speed wireless networks," explains Vodafone Technology Director Tony Baird. "It also represents some of the most advanced technology in Vodafone New Zealand's network, capable of carrying 44 x 400 gigabits of capacity across a single fiber pair."
Such capacity derives from Ciena's WaveLogic AI chip (see "Ciena unveils WaveLogic Ai coherent transmission ASIC"). Vodafone New Zealand made the jump to 100 Gbps via Ciena's 6500 platforms (see "Vodafone deploys 100 Gbps in New Zealand"), and the technology supplier makes line cards with the WaveLogic AI available for that platform.
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