Oclaro sampling 10G SFP+ CPRI optical transceiver for mobile backhaul

Optical component, transceiver, and subsystem vendor Oclaro, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR) says it has begun sampling the TRS5013WV, a 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ optical transceiver for singlemode fiber applications up to 2 km. The module is optimized for mobile backhaul applications and is compliant with the IEEE 10 Gigabit Ethernet transceiver standards as required by the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) specification, the company says.

Oclaro says the SFP+ CPRI transceiver is the first such device to be optimized for applications of less than 2 km. According to Vladimir Kozlov, founder and CEO of the market research firm LightCounting, the demand for such a device is significant.

“Upgrades of wireless networks to 4G create a strong demand for optical connectivity to support the wireless infrastructure. A high percentage of the connections between the base station and antenna towers are relatively short requiring transceivers that can support distances up to 2 km. Demand for 10-Gbps connectivity will be strong within the wireless industry,” Kozlov explained. “Over the past three years, this market segment has experienced annual growth rates of 50% to 100% per year. This has led the transition to higher data rates: from 3 Gbps to 6 Gbps, and now 10 Gbps.”

The transceiver uses a Fabry-Perot (FP) laser to meet the cost expectations of such short reach applications. The module will operate over the extended temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees. It offers power consumption of 1 W max.

“Today’s announcement is another milestone in our quest to offer high-performance cost-efficient transceiver solutions and help enable a bandwidth-rich wireless network infrastructure,” said Atsushi Takai, vice president and general manager, Oclaro Japan, Inc., Pluggable Division of Modules & Devices Business Unit. “This new standards-compliant 10G SFP+ CPRI transceiver is a product of our industry leading chip technology and expertise in delivering compact high-quality transceivers with low power consumption.”

Oclaro says the 10G SFP+ CPRI transceiver should be in volume production at the end of this year. The company will discuss the device during the European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communications (ECOC) from September 23-25, 2013, on the show floor in meeting room MR3.

For more information on optical transceivers and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.