Windstream Wholesale says it will soon offer regional connectivity via 400G wavelengths. The new Regional Rapid Fiber services will build on the company’s work in 400G ZR+ pluggable optical transceivers to enable flexible point-to-point connections within multiple regional sites across Windstream’s Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON).
Scheduled for network deployment and customer turn-up early this summer, the Regional Rapid Fiber wavelength services are designed to enable flexibility and redundancy in regional applications. Focusing on multi-point connections within a regional radius, Regional Rapid Fiber connectivity services will be accessible within approximately 50 regional PoPs across Windstream’s ICON network. The network service provider cites the following as primary features:
- pre-deployed 400G capacity for rapid turn-up
- service flexibility, including technical proof-of-performance options
- short-term, event-based 400G options that are priced like long-term services
- “risk-free” migration from 100G to 400G
- a capacity reservation service
- dual, diverse, economical 400G wavelength options.
The company has offered 400G services since August 2020 (see "Everstream, Windstream collaborate on 400GbE transport capabilities"), with the capability available coast-to-coast on multiple routes as of June 2022. Windstream says it plans to increase the umber of 400G PoPs from 80 to more than 120 by the end of this year. The 400G ZR+ pluggable optics the company co-developed with Coherent/II-VI are key building blocks (see “Windstream Wholesale receives 400G ZR+ QSFP-DD-DCO optical transceivers from II-VI”).
“We’ve been in the business of 400G for a while now and have had time to harden our processes and systems,” said Joe Scattareggia, chief revenue officer for Windstream Wholesale. “That amount of experience and gained expertise is really what sets us apart and is also what led to the partnership and co-development of the ZR+ technology. We’ve lowered connectivity risk for our customers who are seeking trusted, coast-to-coast expansion and upgrade to that next generation of 400G, introducing the first flexible regional 400G wave service (Regional Rapid Fiber) which we know is going to be a market disruptor, both in terms of connectivity and customer cost.”
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