Arelion completes 400G ultra long-haul pluggable trial with Cisco
Arelion completed a live network field trial on its route from Chicago to Denver using Cisco 400G Ultra Long Haul (ULH) QSFP-DD Coherent pluggable optical modules and Cisco 8000 series routers powered by Cisco Silicon One.
This trial demonstrated IP transmission at a spectrum of 112.5 gigahertz over 2,253 kilometers, with healthy margins. It claims that it provides longer transmission distances and higher cost savings than currently deployed transponders.
Cisco's 400G ULH pluggable enables Arelion to reduce CAPEX by 35 percent and OPEX costs by 84% when expanding its network, providing a wider reach with high capacities that support customers' AI/ML and cloud applications.
One key element of Cisco’s 400G ULH QSFP-DD pluggable coherent optical modules is that they can optimize network architecture by consolidating excessive hardware, with greater than +1 dBm transmit power. As a result, providers like Arelion can cut the number of interfaces to maintain and mitigate financial barriers to network expansion.
Following this field trial, Arelion said it will “substantially improve” its Routed Optical Networking reach through additional deployments of Cisco 400G ULH pluggables, enabling it to better support wholesale and enterprise customers' connectivity needs across North America. This technology will allow Arelion to introduce Routed Optical Networking to long-haul networks in previously challenging geographies.
"Testing equipment in laboratory settings is one thing, but this field trial reflects our drive to test and integrate innovative optical technologies through practical applications in real-world environments," said Dariusz Solowiej, VP of Networks and Operations for Arelion.
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About the Author
Sean BuckleySean Buckley
Sean is the Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave. He establishes and executes Lightwave's editorial strategy across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products. Before coming to Lightwave in July 2023, he served as editor of Broadband Communities. Earlier, he served as senior editor of FierceTelecom and the editor of the former Telecommunications Magazine. He got his start in the optical industry in 1998 when he became the editor of enterprise and optical networks at Information Gatekeepers. He has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and lives in Dracut, Mass, with his wife, two sons, and his cat, Dove.
