Arelion, Infinera transmit 1800 km with 400G ZR+ pluggable optics

March 13, 2023

The trial leveraged a a QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver and SMF-28 fiber in a live point-to-point production network running through Dallas, Memphis, and Chattanooga.

Stephen Hardy

Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) and fiber-optic network services provider Arelion say that they have conducted a trial of Infinera’s recently announced ICE-X 400G ZR+ pluggable transceiver technology (see "Infinera enters coherent optical subsystems market, to offer coherent transceiver DSPs") in which they achieved a reach of more than 1800 km. The trial leveraged a a QSFP-DD pluggable coherent transceiver and SMF-28 fiber in a live point-to-point production network running through Dallas, Memphis, and Chattanooga.

The collaborators also used the same ICE-X QSFP-DD optical transceiver to demonstrate 300-Gbps and 200-Gbps operation over Aerlion’s open, disaggregated network.

“We are pleased to once again partner with Infinera,” commented Georgios Tologlou, senior network architect at Arelion. “We were early investors in optical pluggable components to drive demonstrable value and cost-efficiency for our customers. Lab trials with perfect fiber are one thing. But we are not afraid to test these pluggables in live networks over the same fiber we’re using for live traffic, so we were happy to demonstrate the real-world potential of Infinera’s new coherent pluggable technology when implemented through Arelion’s open and disaggregated network architecture.”

“Through collaboration with Arelion, this record-breaking achievement represents a significant milestone in the evolution of coherent optical solutions,” asserted Tom Burns, general manager of the Optical Modules and Coherent Solutions Group at Infinera. “The trial demonstrates the level of performance that can be achieved in a QSFP-DD form factor powered by Infinera’s ICE-X technology and coupled with the power of open optical networking principles applied in Arelion’s live network.”

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.