Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) used OFC 2018 in San Diego, CA, last week to unveil the 8180 Coherent Networking Platform and 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS). The two platforms are designed to provide the aggregation, scale, and programmability that network operators will need as they embark on fiber network densification strategies.
Operators are looking for scale, operational simplicity and rapid deployment capabilities, a means to grow their competitive edge, and a way to ensure the best customer experience possible as they extend their fiber footprints, to support such applications as data center interconnect (DCI), 4G/5G backahaul and front haul, and cable systems operator's "Fiber Deep" initiatives, according to Helen Xenos, senior director, portfolio marketing at Ciena. An optimal approach would leverage highly scalable, small-footprint platforms that provide programmability and built-in Layer 2 capabilities, she said.
The two new platforms aim to meet these requirements. The 8180 Coherent Networking Platform scales to 6.4 Tbps of switching capacity within a 2RU chassis. It also will support tunable 100- to 400-Gbps coherent transmission based on Ciena's WaveLogic Ai engine as well as 10, 40, 100, and eventually 400 Gigabit Ethernet client side ports. It is fully compatible with Ciena's full software-defined networking (SDN) and network automation suite, Xenos added.
The 6500 RLS is an open, modular platform available in three chassis sizes, depending upon the functions required, particularly for metro and long-haul DCI and cable access. Such functions may include, but aren't limited to, colorless/directionless/contentionless and conventional ROADM capabilities of various degrees, L-Band support, amplifiers (EDFA and Raman), and optical protection switching. The platform is designed to support both integrated and disaggregated implementations.
The 8180 Coherent Networking Platform and 6500 RLS are slated to become generally available in the second half of this year.
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