Windstream Wholesale recently completed a trial of Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) 2x1.2 Tbps with 3x800G Wave services, a move that signifies its desire to accommodate 800G customer requests.
Using Ciena's Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), the trial took place over a 1,590-kilometer route on Windstream Wholesale's Beach Route network from Virginia Beach to Jacksonville, Fla.
Preparing for 800G
This initiative showcased Ciena's WL6e technology's ultra-long-haul and high client-side bandwidth capabilities.
This technology can support multiple 800G wave services beyond 1,590 kilometers without regeneration, offering benefits for ultra-long-haul applications.
This advancement is poised to meet the requirements of forthcoming multiple 800G service demands, in addition to the enormous demands for Nx400G services.
Windstream Wholesale is hardly a novice when it comes to investigating 800G. In late 2023, Windstream Wholesale and Nokia completed a trial of 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) service transmission over a single 800 Gbps wavelength over a 1,386-kilometer link across its live network.
Also, through a partnership with Colt Technology Services (Colt) and Nokia, Windstream Wholesale completed an 800 Gigabit Ethernet (800GbE) service trial connecting London with Chicago over an 8500km subsea and terrestrial route over the production network.
Enhanced customer experience
A result of Windstream Wholesale’s trial is how it will impact its customer base’s need for higher-speed services.
The deployment of Ciena’s WL6e technology promises several advantages for Windstream Wholesale’s customers, including enhanced connectivity solutions with greater scalability, flexibility, and reliability.
This innovation benefits high-bandwidth applications, supporting emerging business needs and driving future sales of Nx800G services.
Windstream Wholesale plans to sell 800G Wave services in the second half of 2025 over its Intelligent Converged Optical Network backbone.
Joe Scattareggia, president of Windstream Wholesale, said, “This achievement reflects our dedication to delivering innovative solutions that meet our customers' needs and paves the way for future advancements."
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Wavelength services rising
Optical wavelength services demands continue to rise. The upsurge of AI rollouts continues to be a key driver for gigabit wavelength services. Vertical Systems Group noted in its Year-End 2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD that customer demand for 400 Gbps wavelength services is solidly increasing, driven by hyperscalers, data center connectivity, cloud providers, and Enterprises with heavy data transfer requirements. However, the research firm cautioned that the market for 800 Gbps Wave services is ramping slowly due to several challenges, including limited availability of services and equipment and protracted lead times for space and power.
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.