Sprint, Ciena test 400G fiber-optic network link

Sprint (NYSE:S) and Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN) have made good on a promise made last year to trial 400-Gbps technology on the carrier’s backbone network (see “Sprint upgrades network, sets 400G trial with Ciena”). The two companies add that Sprint has upgraded a fiber-optic network link between Chicago and Ft. Worth, TX, to 100 Gbps on the basis of a different field test.

The 400-Gbps trial run ended last month. The demonstration saw Sprint apply 400-Gbps technology to its Ciena 6500s somewhere in Silicon Valley. The 400-Gbps traffic ran alongside existing live channels and validated the readiness of its network to handle such data rates when demand dictates.

“Customers have expressed their hunger for higher-speed networks to support their substantial data needs, which we project will only continue to grow exponentially,” said Wayne Ward, vice president-business and product development, Sprint. “The 400-Gbps trial demonstrates our ability to offer higher speeds with our existing fiber, which means that our customers can feel assured that our network is future-proofed to meet their needs as they evolve. The delivery of 100-Gbps and 400-Gbps speeds will be critical as we launch our Ethernet Wave Services and support a growing wireless infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, the 100-Gbps test demonstrated the ability to sustain this data rate over 2100 km without regeneration. Sprint is now running 100 Gbps between the Illinois and Texas end points, while the coherent transmission technology is now “integrated into the Sprint optical network infrastructures,” the two companies say.

The fiber-optic network enhancements form part of Sprint’s Network Vision initiative. The effort seeks to consolidate multiple network technologies into one new, seamless network that will improve efficiency and enhance network coverage, call quality, and data speeds. Network Vision also aims for enhanced scalability and performance.

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