Verizon (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) says it has completed a field trial of 200-Gbps coherent transmission on its ultra-long-haul fiber-optic network between New York and Boston. The trial used technology from Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ:CIEN).
The transmission used 16QAM on a single wavelength with a 50-GHz channel spacing. As previously reported (see “Interest growing in 200 Gbps for the metro”), Ciena has said that there is interest in using the technology now being developed for 400 Gbps to double the data rate carried over current 100-Gbps links. Ciena had cited metro applications as a catalyst for such interest, although the Verizon trial points toward its use in other parts of the network as well.
The trial used the Ciena 6500 platform, with pre-production software to configure a Ciena Wavelogic3 coherent optical processor, to transmit the 200-Gbps signals over approximately 260 miles. The test lasted more than a month. Verizon reported no impact to live traffic running alongside the 200-Gbps signal.
"Verizon continues to lead the industry in next-generation technology research and take our network to the next level to meet future needs of our business and consumer customers," said Ed Chan, vice president of network technology for Verizon. "This accomplishment is a key technology differentiator and lays the groundwork for Verizon to continue to deliver capacity relief in a robust and scalable way."
"Proving greater spectral efficiency and a lower cost per bit, this trial illustrates the ability to double the traffic carrying capacity of optical channels with no change to the underlying infrastructure," said Francois Locoh-Donou, senior vice president, Global Products Group, Ciena. "And the fact that this field trial was successfully conducted on a critical route of Verizon's production network alongside live customer traffic demonstrates Ciena's commitment to delivering innovative, real-world solutions that allow customers to extract additional value from existing infrastructure investments."
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