[AusNOG] 100G/200G/400G coming down the pipe (so to speak)

[Paul Brooks]

On 7/03/2012 9:23 PM, Paul Brooks wrote:
> This probably more 'engineering' than 'operations', but for those with an interest in
> the future technology roadmap -
>
> Ciena have announced a coherent optical processor chipset supporting 100Gbps, 2 x
> 100Gbps, up to 400Gbps per DWDM optical channel, and spectral shaping to squeeze
> optical channels closer together than the standard ITU grid.
>
> No idea when it will turn up in shipping product  (Ciena indicates 2nd half of this
> year, but thats marketing for you), but the roadmap for 400G lambdas is starting to
> firm up - before most networks have deployed 40G technology.
>
> http://www.ciena.com/corporate/news-events/press-releases/Ciena-Widens-Leadership-in-High-Speed-Optics-with-Innovative-WaveLogic-3-Technology.html

In the interests of fair coverage, it has been pointed out to me by
those-who-never-sleep that this isn't the only or even the first coherent
100G/200G/400G roadmap by a vendor with 5 letters starting with 'C' ;-)
Cisco have a 400G roadmap, with visions toward 1000G optical 'superchannels' on the
feasible horizon - http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=217610.

Again, in the interests of fairness, AlcatelLucent, Huawei, Infinera and NSN have also
anounced similar gear and similar timings over the past few days and weeks- 400G
channels shipping within a couple of years, 1000G channels in the early R&D labs.

Hopefully this will also have the effect of pushing down the price of 10G and 40G
optics for the rest of us mere mortals.

For those predicting that the deployment of optical access networks will cause a
shortage of submarine cable capacity.....I think not.

P.