Alcatel (NYSE: ALA and Paris: CGEP.PA), a provider of intelligent optical networking, introduced two new advanced optical fibers, TeraLight Metro, designed for metropolitan networks, and TeraLight Ultra, designed for terrestrial long-haul and ultra long-haul applications.
As operators continue to expand their optical infrastructures, they face a number of challenges to ensure consistent performance throughout the network at the lowest cost. TeraLight Metro and TeraLight Ultra are the only Non Zero-Dispersion Shifted Fibers (NZ-DSF) that offer a cost-effective solution to operators to upgrade from current systems to higher bit-rates (10, 40Gbit/s and beyond), to utilize more transmission bands and to increase the number of channels per band. Alcatel is rapidly developing its portfolio of advanced fibers, which will become an intrinsic part of the network as data-rates continue to increase.
Metropolitan environments are rapidly becoming major bandwidth bottlenecks, due to the increase in long-haul capacity and the wider deployment of broadband access technologies. Alcatel's TeraLight Metro fiber, available immediately, has been designed to support high-capacity, high-speed (10Gbit/s) backbone rings of 80 to 200 km without the need for any dispersion compensating devices, which would be required with standard singlemode fibers. As a result, overall construction and operating costs are reduced, and the complexity of managing additional equipment in the network is minimized.
TeraLight Metro fully supports 10Gbit/s systems, which will become increasingly prevalent in metro networks and it can be easily upgraded for 40Gbit/s systems. TeraLight Metro is also ideally suited for shorter length (10-30 km) metro systems, in the 1310nm wavelength transmission window. Today, many of the metro systems are deployed in this window, as transmitter costs are generally cheaper.
As for long-haul networks, they continue to evolve to higher bit rates and longer distances. TeraLight Ultra, available fourth quarter 2001, supports the newest technological advances, like distributed Raman amplification, thereby significantly extending the reach of optical transmission and reducing the costs associated with regeneration of the optical signal. Usage of Raman amplification today in long-haul networks is in its infancy but is expected to grow aggressively over the next few years. Providing low attenuation (low signal loss) in all transmission bands, TeraLight Ultra is the only fiber to guarantee low attenuation in the 1450nm wavelength transmission window, where Raman amplification is used.
Additionally, longer distances, and higher bit-rates require fibers with very low Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) to reduce transmission distortions. TeraLight Ultra's lower PMD enables operators to bridge longer distances at 40Gbit/s, or higher, data-rates.
TeraLight Metro and TeraLight Ultra are based on Alcatel's proven TeraLight technology, which has set many transmission capacity records, including the latest for 10.2Tbit/s transmission at 40Gbit/s. Alcatel introduced TeraLight, its leading edge NZ-DSF more than two years ago and it has been successfully deployed by a number of major operators globally. TeraLight is fully compliant with ITU's G.655 standard.
TeraLight, Alcatel's Non-Zero-Dispersion Shifted Fiber, is a technically advanced fiber available on the current market. It is optimized for 10Gbit/s and 40Gbit/s operation and offers the ability to operate in all three transmission bands (C, L and the future S band). It can support more than 320 channels at 10Gbit/s and has established a world record for WDM backbone transmission at 40Gbit/s: 10.2Tbit/s over 100 km. This means 160 million voice calls or more than one million high-bit rate ADSL Internet lines could be carried on a single optical fiber.
About Alcatel:
Alcatel provides all optical network elements, from optical components, optical fibers, DWDM systems and microwave radio links to core routers and network intelligence, and from terrestrial to submarine solutions. Alcatel also provides both terrestrial and marine services for the installation and maintenance of global, seamless optical networks. For more information, visit www.alcatel.com.