Ciena adds long-haul version of Waveserver data center interconnect platform

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) has announced plans to offer a version of its recently announced Waveserver data center interconnect platform with the horsepower to handle long-haul optical transmission requirements. It also will accommodate line-side transmission rates of 100 Gbps, 150 Gbps, and 200 Gbps via a variety of modulation formats. The platform will be smart enough to automatically determine and select the modulation format best suited to the application, Ciena sources said.

The initial version of the Waveserver, which Ciena unveiled in May, targeted metro reaches on the line side, with an emphasis on 200 Gbps per port using 16QAM (see "Ciena Waveserver targets data center interconnect"). However, as potential customers have kicked the tires on the product, they expressed interest in the ability to use the stackable platform in applications where longer reaches may be required, such as inter-city links according to Rick Dodd, senior vice president of portfolio marketing and strategic market development, and Mike Adams, vice president, product and technology marketing.

The long-haul version of the Waveserver is Ciena's response. The platform will be able to support 200-Gbps wavelengths at distances beyond 1,000 km and 100-Gbps wavelengths across more than 10,000 km, Ciena asserts. It also will support 150-Gbps wavelengths over an unspecified distance.

The platform also will offer a choice of modulation formats via its WaveLogic 3 Extreme chipset. In addition to the 16QAM already in the metro version, it also will support QPSK and 8QAM. Thanks to a combination of onboard software and the flexibility of the WaveLogic 3 Extreme, the system will be able to determine and apply the most appropriate modulation format for each link, Dodd said.

The long-haul Waveserver will retain the 1RU form factor of the metro version, but will be a different product; customers will not be able to upgrade fielded metro-focused Waveservers with long-haul capabilities, Dodd and Adams said. The metro version is in trials with several "web-scale" data center operators, with general availability expected next month. Customers have already placed orders for the product. The long-haul version should be available in the first quarter of 2016.

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.