Adtran brings its latest coherent innovation to OFCnet multi-vendor demo

News summary:

• Showcase features Adtran FSP 3000 OLS with high-resolution flexgrid technology, offering bandwidth-optimized optical spectrum services
• Demo includes FSP 3000 TeraFlex™ CoreChannel™ for 800G transport and MicroMux™ for efficient 10G aggregation
• Also on display for the first time is Adtran’s QSFP28 pluggable Coherent 100ZR, which provides 100G coherent edge connectivity

Adtran®, Inc., (NASDAQ:ADTN), the leading provider of open and disaggregated networking solutions, today announced that its latest coherent innovation will be showcased at OFC as part of OFCnet. The demo reveals how the Adtran FSP 3000 open line system (OLS) can bring new levels of flexibility to optical networks by enabling optimized, tailored spectrum services. In collaboration with Acacia, Cisco, Coherent Corp., Corning, EXFO, Nokia and VIAVI Solutions, Adtran will showcase 100ZR, 200Gbit/s, 400Gbit/s OpenZR+ and 800Gbit/s connectivity. The FSP 3000 DCI OLS is also playing a key role in the OIF 400ZR demo at OFC.

“Our demo shows how the spectrum-as-a-service concept has the potential to revolutionize the way operators utilize their fiber resources. It highlights how it’s possible to slice up the network even in a metro environment. With fully flexible spectrum allocation, operators can provide a wide variety of differentiated services and ensure they leverage the full capacity of their infrastructure. Not only will this help tackle ever-increasing data demand, but it also offers a new route to revenue growth,” said Jörg-Peter Elbers, head of advanced technology at Adtran. “Our compact FSP 3000 OLS is the key to realizing the full benefits of this open and flexible approach. It removes the limits of fixed channel grids so that untapped spectrum can be put to work.”

The coherent innovation demo features a three-node ring network with flexgrid ROADMs in the Adtran, Coherent Corp. and OFCnet booths. Adtran’s FSP 3000 OLS is used to ensure strict separation between users while minimizing the unused bandwidth between their spectrum services, and its high-resolution flexgrid ROADMs provide optical channel monitoring, demarcation and passband optimization for all spectrum services. Also on display is the Adtran TeraFlex™ CoreChannel™, which transports 100Gbit/s and 400Gbit/s Ethernet client signals over a coherent 800Gbit/s signal. In combination with Adtran’s MicroMux™, the terminal shows the transmission of 10Gbit/s services without any footprint increase. What’s more, Adtran’s OpenFabric+™ is being used to demonstrate 200Gbit/s connectivity.

“One of the most exciting elements of this demo is showcasing the value of our Coherent 100ZR. To meet growing traffic demands, network operators need to upgrade their edge aggregation infrastructure to support 100Gbit/s rates. However, this can be a costly and complex process. With its QSFP28 form factor, our Coherent 100ZR easily fits into existing host platforms and can operate over any optical network infrastructure. This facilitates the adoption of 100Gbit/s coherent technology at the network edge without major infrastructure changes and at an affordable price,” commented Ross Saunders, GM of Optical Engines, Adtran. “With a new purpose-built DSP, a standards-compliant QSFP28 form factor, and 5W power consumption, our Coherent 100ZR opens the door to widespread rollout of 100Gbit/s coherent technology at the optical edge.”